The Island of Gods
by NinjaGamerFF
Summary: Inuyasha had spent his life with the worst of society. With no past or future, his prospects seemed bleak. When a mysterious man finds him and tells him of a fortune awaiting him, Inuyasha jumps at the chance at a new life. What awaits him is beyond his wildest dreams, but nothing in life comes free. The island utopia hides something sinister, and it begins with his father's death.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any characters associated with it. This story is rated for a mature audience.**

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 **oOOOo**

The sound of tires screeching and a car horn split the night. Twisting hard on the handles, Inuyasha just managed to twist his scooter to avoid the car. There was a metallic screech as the scooter hit the pavement, skidding forward until it hit the curb and jumped it. The car was still blowing its horn as it shot off down the road. Looking down to ensure he was still intact, Inuyasha tossed a derogatory gesture towards the retreating car and shouted out a few choice words. Feeling the rage slowly bleed away into pain, he looked up to find that his side of the light _was_ green and just shook his head. He was fortunate he hadn't been going fast or his scrapes and bumps would have been a lot worse. Rubbing his sore butt, he walked over to the scooter and gave it a look over. The frame was dented where it had slid into the curb. The metal box on the back had busted off too. Sighing, he shook his head. His boss was going to kill him.

After limping his scooter back to the restaurant and sitting through another screamed lecture about respecting company property, Inuyasha grabbed his free meal and headed out into the night air – without pay. Again. It was the price of being 'illegal.' It was hard to complain about shady practices when the people in power to do something were more likely to arrest you than the perpetrator. Still, he was going to have a full stomach tonight and his boss hadn't told him to scram, so it wasn't all bad. The sun had faded behind the towering buildings of steel, glass, and concrete. All too often, the city felt like his prison rather than home. Rent was staggering and pay was shitty for a man with no higher education. If he didn't work at the restaurant, he was sure he would have starved to death a long time ago.

The aches and pains were growing worse as he reached the run down building he lived in. _I really hope it's just scrapes and bruising._ The last thing he needed was a hospital visit on top of everything else. While healthcare was free, they asked questions. Questions he didn't have answers to. Shifting the bag of food to his other hand, he reached out and hit the button for the elevator. When it didn't light up, he hit it again. Pause. Hit it again. Pause. He slammed the bottom of his fist against the door in frustration.

"Of all the fucking nights…" he grumbled, eyeing the stairs wearily. Feet shuffling against the tile, he made his way to the stairs and began his arduous journey upwards. He slid to the side, making himself as small as possible as a man jogged down the stairs in a hurry. Keeping his head down, Inuyasha didn't dare make eye contact as the heavily tattooed man brushed by him without a second look. He heaved out a sigh of relief and continued his journey up. Inuyasha knew the guy was part of a larger gang, but not sure which one. Not that he cared anyway. The building was filled with degenerates from society. It's why the rent was barely affordable and accepted cash. Thugs, junkies, prostitutes, and other failures of society filled the rooms. Inuyasha knew he was one of them. A failure. He used to make excuses for his lot in life. A single mother whose health continuously deteriorated. The constant need to work to take care of her as well as himself. The fact that he had to work full time rather than getting an education. But all that was just excuses. People had to do those things and succeeded. Not Inuyasha. He belonged here, just like the rest of them. It wasn't anything he wasn't used to. His childhood had been spent in buildings like this.

On the ninth floor, he stopped his ascent and headed down the dirty, poorly lit hall to his door. Keys jingling in hand, he flipped to the correct one as his door approached.

"Hey Inuyasha," a young woman's voice called out. Looking up, he found his neighbor Mika standing in front of her door, lit cigarette in hand. She was a pleasant woman – especially in this place. She was wearing very little, and what she was wearing was dirty and pocketed with holes. Jean shorts and a white halter top that just barely covered her nipples. She was pretty – or at least could be if she cared enough to try. Her dyed brown hair was pulled back in a sloppy bun. She was in great shape physically, her smooth skin marred by a faded scar across her stomach. He never asked her about that, and she never shared the story.

"Evening Mika," he responded, giving her a polite smile. Mika, if that was her real name, was the only person in the building Inuyasha talked to, and even that was brief and infrequent.

"I didn't keep you up last night, did I?" She looked genuinely concerned. It was only when she spoke to him that the smallest of sparks came to her eyes.

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Pretty sure I could sleep through WWIII if it happened."

"I try not to take clients that late at night, but I'm running a bit short this month," she said, worry flickering in her face. It quickly disappeared when she brought her cigarette to her mouth and took a quick puff. Though it didn't show on her face, Inuyasha could tell her hand was quivering – and not from the lack of nicotine.

"How much?"

A smile spread over her lips. "Why Inuyasha. You've never taken an interest until now."

He rolled his eyes. "I mean how much are you short?"

Eyes falling, she shook her head. "This is my problem, not yours."

Inuyasha wasn't going to take that. "You were short a few months ago." She winced at the memory. His memory was good too. He remembered the bruising she had for the next few weeks. Of course, her face was untouched, but with how little she wore… "Stop being a hard ass and tell me how much."

"Two fifty," she said softly, looking down. "Some of my regulars got picked up last month. The mayor is running for reelection and is putting pressure on the police to crack down." She sighed, looking down at her cigarette. "It's not just me having a tough time either. Some of the other girls got picked up trying to meet quotas." She took another drag. "Fucking politicians," she muttered bitterly. "Some of us need to make a living."

Sliding his key into the deadlock, he twisted it, hearing the snap. "Hold on a moment," he said, walking inside his apartment. The room was a mess. He tried keeping the place tidy when he first moved in. He gave up when he realized the trash did little to depress the place. Setting his food on the counter, he walked over to his bedroom. Reaching under his bed, he popped out the loose floorboard, revealing the metal box that held his life savings. Wincing as he sat back, he popped the lid off to find a wad of cash inside. Carefully, he counted off the bills. Other than a few high bills, most of his stash was made up of small bills. When he finished counting out the amount, he returned the remaining bills to the box. There were depressingly few left. Carefully, he put the box back into the hole and replaced the floorboard. Mika was looking at him curiously as he stepped out of his apartment.

"Here," he said, offering the cash.

Her eyes were wide looking between the money and him. "I can't—"

"You can and you will," Inuyasha said, voice leaving no room for argument. "I know what he does when you fall short. It just makes your work that much harder for the next month."

She wiped a few tears from her eyes as she took the money. "You're a good man Inuyasha." She dropped her cigarette and snuffed it out with a quick grind of her boot. It blended in with the rest of the garbage filling the hall. "Of course, I don't expect you to just give this free of charge…"

He held up a hand, stopping her advance. "That's not necessary."

"I don't have anything else to offer," she said, hooking her shirt with a finger and pulling it down, revealing more of her already ample cleavage. "At least let me repay your kindness."

"It's not that I don't appreciate it," he said, taking a step back so he could more easily retreat into his apartment if needed.

She stopped, studying him. Finally, she nodded. "I understand." She smiled sadly. "A good man deserves a good woman."

"It's not—" he started to say, then cut himself off. Mika _was_ a good woman. Living around here made you a quick judge of character and she was classes above the other tenants. She was attractive too, as far as women around here went. Good face, excellent body, but her eyes scared him. She tried to be cheerful around him, smiling and cracking jokes, but he could always tell by her eyes. There was no life in them. The spark that made a person had long since extinguished itself in her. She had long since accepted her fate in life. What bothered Inuyasha so much was those were the eyes he saw when he looked in the mirror. He couldn't stand it, which is why there was no longer a mirror he could look at. "I'm sorry," he said, looking away.

She nodded, allowing him to start back into the apartment. "Just—" she called out, stopping him at the last moment. "Is it because I'm a whore? Is that why—?"

He looked up to find her pleading eyes staring back. Maybe his answer would have been different if there had been a spark of hope. Hope that she didn't need to live a lonely life pleasuring men for money – or at least hope that she could have a man touch her with real emotions. "No, of course not." He met her eyes. "A man who has no love for himself has little chance of loving others."

She was silent, unmoving. Finally, she nodded, an understanding in her eyes. A grin formed on her face, one that she had perfected in her work. Always looking happy, even if her eyes revealed the truth. "Well you're missing out. I would have rocked your world."

Inuyasha managed to force a chuckle as he retreated back into the solitude of his apartment. "I'm sure you would've."

 **oOOOo**

Inuyasha woke at 5am, the TV still on. His body ached as he forced himself to stand. He was going to be feeling the effects of the accident for days, maybe weeks. Sighing, he shuffled off towards the bathroom, clicking off the TV as he went. He could hear Mika hard at work in the apartment over. The walls did little to block out the moans and squeaks of the bed. He paused, looking towards the wall that separated Mika's apartment from his own. The bed thudded rhythmically against the wall. For the briefest of moments, he was eight years old again. It was the wall to his bedroom. Beyond that wall, his mother was hard at work. The only difference was a man wasn't there to beat her if she didn't meet her quota. Instead, they just didn't eat. It wasn't until he was a bit older when he found out the true nature of his 'uncles' and where his mom got most of their money. He was just glad his mother had managed to get higher class clients than the ones that frequented here.

He shook the memories from his mind. He felt no regrets about giving her the money. Even if she managed to raise the required money for the month, he hoped she would keep his money for a month where she didn't make it. She was a good person. Unlike many of the women here, she didn't try to numb herself to life with drugs. "No good deed goes unpunished" was the rule of law here, but Inuyasha had felt compelled to hold his hand out anyways. He would undoubtedly regret it in the future when he needed that money, but right now, he would enjoy the brief high of helping someone in need.

His shower was quick, not because he was in a hurry, but because the damn water heater was broken again. Dressed, he headed for the door. He managed to check the microwave clock as he passed. 5:22. He was leaving a bit early, but he figured he could get a few minutes extra on his next paycheck that way. Maybe he would get what he was actually owed this time. Yawning, he locked up and headed downstairs. He could hear other women at work as he passed their doors. This was a building where business was 24/7. On the third floor, there was a major fight going on. How anyone had enough energy to fight this early in the morning, he had no idea. Still, it sounded bad. A man's voice, muffled by the walls, was shouting and a woman was screaming back. He could hear things breaking and someone crying out in pain. Increasing his pace, he hurried down the rest of the stairs and pulled the hood on his hoodie up over his head. It was best to not get involved in those things. Last time someone did, they ended up shot. The police response time was… abysmal. You'd be lucky to get one here in under an hour. It was funny. They were much quicker about getting here when there was a body to remove, but preventing a body? No way.

Stepping out into the morning air, he took a deep breath of the crisp air. For the first time, he actually felt fairly good about the day. Maybe it was because he had done a good deed – though he was sure that would come back and bite him in the ass. He had heard that good begot good. His mother was always on that. A sweet lie told to children. Reality had proved that wrong so many times already. Sticking your neck out for someone in this area was asking to get it chopped off. He didn't know why he helped Mika. He had been saving his money for a one-way ticket out of this hell, yet he didn't have a second thought about giving it to her. Maybe because, deep down, he knew there was only one way out of this place and that required no money to achieve. Maybe because she reminded him of his mother, selling herself to scrape together some sort of living. Whatever the reason, it no longer mattered. The money was already gone.

"Are you Inuyasha Yamaguchi?" an unfamiliar voice called out, startling him. He hadn't heard his last name in a long time, and someone calling you out by name in this area usually led to someone bleeding out in the gutter. His mother had once said he should wear his name with pride. That his family line consisted of some very powerful and noble people. If that was true, looking at his life now, the family had fallen far in recent years.

"I am. Who wants to know?" he answered suspiciously, watching as a foreign man in an expensive suit moved towards him.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," the strange man said, offering his hand. Inuyasha looked down at it before slowly taking it. "My name is Michael Bahram." There was an accent there, but Inuyasha couldn't place it. "I represent a certain party which has requested me to find you."

"Certain party huh? Well if it's that asshole from yesterday, you can tell him to go fuck himself. My light was green."

The man chuckled. "No, no. It is nothing like that, I assure you. May I have a few moments of your time? There is much for us to discuss," he said, gesturing to a waiting car. Inuyasha's eyebrows raised as he glanced at the expensive car. It was a rental, but expensive nonetheless. "If you would just give me a few moments, please. At least until we take you to your first place of employment."

Inuyasha considered it for a moment. He didn't think he had pissed off any of the thugs or gang members in the building. Besides, they were all petty, low-level members. Nothing to warrant this sort of treatment. _And it would sure beat walking._ He was still hurting from the accident. He tried to sound nonchalant, shrugging before wincing in pain from the move. "I guess I could use a ride."

Michael smiled happily. "Very good," he said, holding the door for him. Once Inuyasha was inside, he moved around to the other side. The driver said nothing, eyes forward as he started driving.

"So who are these people you represent and why are they looking for me?"

"I represent a small community of people. They are very concerned about you."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I find that hard to believe."

Michael cleared his throat. "Yes, well, believe me or not, it is the truth." Reaching forward, he pulled out a large manila envelope from a briefcase, handing it to Inuyasha. "I have been sent to find you and confirm your wellbeing by this community."

"Okay. Well here I am, and I am still alive."

"Hmm. Yes." He said nothing more, but Inuyasha could tell the man didn't want to be here with him. The body language was quite clear. He was probably thinking about all the disinfectant he would have to use to clean the car once Inuyasha left it. "Once I ascertained your location and made contact with you, I am supposed to hand you this envelope and answer all the questions you have regarding it to the best of my knowledge."

"What is it?" Inuyasha asked, gazing curiously at the envelope.

"Details of your father's estate."

That got his attention. "My father?" he asked, looking up. "He's alive?"

Michael cleared his throat. "That – ah. No. No longer I'm afraid. He passed away several months ago."

Inuyasha looked down at the envelope, as if it had just grown heavier. He knew nothing of his father. His mother had gone through great lengths to avoid the topic. Avoiding everything about their past. It had left him with so many questions. Even on her deathbed, she refused to even give him a name, saying he was better off not knowing. She had passed apologizing to him that she could do no more for him than give him his freedom. "Freedom." From what, he didn't know, but he had his doubts on whether it was worse than what he currently had.

"I see," was all he managed to say on it. He never knew his father, but knowing he had died still affected him. It was more knowing that he would never have the chance of meeting him, however unlikely that had been.

"I began my search for you the moment he died, of course. However, you are a very difficult man to find."

"Not trying to hide," Inuyasha said, looking up from the envelope.

"No, but your mother was – and quite good at it. She switched to her maiden name. Do you know how many Yamaguchi's there are?"

Inuyasha frowned. "Why? What was my mother hiding from?"

Michael shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't know that."

"What _do_ you know?"

"That my employers are keenly interested in you. They spent a fortune hiring just about every investigative service worth money searching for you. The amount of money is staggering."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure. Perhaps the envelope has some answers."

"What's in it?"

Michael shook his head. "I don't know. They paid me more than enough to sate any curiosity." The car rolled to a stop. Looking out the tinted window, Inuyasha saw the front of the shop he worked in during first shift. "My card," Michael said, holding a bright white business card out to him. Inuyasha took it. In plain black letters was his name and number, nothing else. Inuyasha put it in his pocket. "Call that number if you need anything. Anything at all. Do not worry about price, my employers have that all covered."

"Am I ever going to know who they are?"

"Perhaps, but that is up to you I believe." He glanced down at the envelope. "Your father had a sizable estate. Even if you end up having to split it with your sibling, you stand to inherit a fortune."

"Sibling? I have a sibling?"

"A brother, if I'm not mistaken. Half-brother."

 _I still have living family._ The news of that was more shocking than anything. _Why did my mom never tell me? Did she even know?_ "Thank you," Inuyasha said, opening the door.

Michael nodded. "You can contact me at any time. 24/7. Do not hesitate if you have questions."

"Will do," Inuyasha said before closing the door. The car waited for a few seconds before merging into traffic and disappearing down the road. Still in a daze, Inuyasha headed inside.

"Hey Inuyasha. You're here early," his boss said as he entered. "Everything okay?"

"Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind," Inuyasha said, still holding the envelope.

"Well, we have a lot to get ready for. I have a feeling today's going to be a busy one. Go ahead and get ready, we'll get started."

Inuyasha looked up. "Okay, sure." As much as he wanted to know what was in the envelope, that could wait. Right now, he needed money and the extra hour of pay today was going to help.

 **oOOOo**

It wasn't until noon that Inuyasha was finally able to return to the envelope. Alone in the break room and out of his work uniform, Inuyasha carefully opened the envelope. Inside was a single piece of paper. It was handwritten, the text in almost machine-like quality, yet flawed in elegant ways no computer could match. Inuyasha's eyes flew over the paper, taking in everything.

 _Dear Inuyasha,_

 _If you are reading this, then our search has been successful. I wish I could have contacted you earlier, but until recent events forced us to change tactics, our search for you has been woefully inadequate. With a heavy heart, I regret to inform you that your father has passed away. He did not suffer and was surrounded by loved ones. He was a valued member of our community and will be dearly missed._

 _As per his wish, I have been named executor to his final will and testament. Your father had an extensive estate and businesses, all of which he has bequeathed unto you, Inuyasha Taisho._

 _While this is all understandably overwhelming to you, time is not on our side. While I have written this moments after your father's passing, I do not know when this letter will finally reach you – though I have faith it will reach you in time. I humbly request that you join me in exacting your father's will. If too much time passes, I am afraid your father's estate will be divided amongst the community he has worked so hard to support. I understand that this will be a burden, but I assure you that your time will be well spent. I hope to take no more than a week of your time to finish the transfer of your father's estate to your own._

 _As soon as possible, I beseech you to contact the party responsible for handing you this letter. They will have all the required knowledge on setting you on the path to rightfully rejoin the community you were born into. Again, time is of the essence. Each passing moment is one of life and death. I endeavor to see you soon._

 _Your humblest of servants,_

 _Miroku_

Scratching his head, he reread the odd note. The language seemed old and unnecessarily formal. _Do all lawyers talk like this?_ Whoever this Miroku guy was, he seemed like a pompous ass. Inuyasha could see him, sitting back in a nice cushy chair marking off the days until the deadline when the estate could be cut up and auctioned off to the highest bidder. Unfortunately for him, Inuyasha had no intention of letting that happen. He had a feeling this wasn't a scam. He was too poor to be a target for something this elaborate. _Besides, if this is all legit, then they know about my past. About my mother's past._ That alone made him want to pursue this as far as he could. He also figured the money would be good. Anywhere was better than here. Still, he couldn't shake the concern building in the back of his mind. It was clear his father had been quite wealthy – so why had his mother taken him and run? _Why would someone leave the comforts of wealth to live in the gutter as a prostitute?_

Walking over to the phone in the break room, Inuyasha fished out the crumpled business card he had shoved in his pocket. Dialing the number, it rang only once before it connected.

"Michael Bahram," came the curt answer.

"This is Inuyasha."

"What can I do for you Inuyasha?"

He glanced down at the letter he still held in his hand. "I read what was inside the envelope."

"I see."

"It said you had a way of getting me to this community."

"I assumed it would be something of that nature and I have made all the necessary arrangements. All I need to know is when you would like to go."

Inuyasha read the last part of the message again. "One of life and death." _A bit dramatic…_ There was no reason to hold off anyways. It wasn't like he had much of a life here holding him here. Besides, if there was indeed an inheritance involved, he was never coming back here again.

Clutching the letter tightly, he looked up as he adjusted the phone against his face. "As soon as possible."

 **oOOOo**

Inuyasha never felt as sick as he did now. He clutched the railing as the boat bounced atop the water. It had been like this for hours. When Michael had told him he would have to travel on boat, Inuyasha figured it would be like a ferry or something of that nature. Instead, he had been surprised to find a man with a large speedboat waiting for him. After taking his luggage and securing it, they set off and had been going North East for quite some time. As someone who has never been on a boat before, Inuyasha was learning that he got seasick easily. Thus, he had spent the majority of the trip against the railing. He was beginning to suspect they were going to go around the entire country before a patch of green appeared on the horizon. From his spot against the railing, he watched as it slowly grew larger. He was sure his torment would be over soon before the engines cut off. Gradually, the boat bounced to a stop before settling into the waves.

"What's wrong?" Inuyasha asked weakly.

"Nothing's wrong," the man said, casually going about his business behind the driver's area.

"We stopped."

The man looked at him like he was stupid. "Yes. We did."

Frustrated, Inuyasha pointed off towards the island in the distance. "We are almost there."

"Another boat is coming," the driver said simply. "They will take you to the island."

"I thought you were."

The man shook his head. "That island is cursed."

Inuyasha frowned. "Cursed?" _Great. All I need is a superstitious driver._ He would have rather the man be shaking him down for a tip before continuing the rest of the way. Unfortunately for the man, Inuyasha didn't have much cash on him and he very much wanted to get out of the water as quickly as possible.

The man looked terrified as he looked past Inuyasha towards the island. "There is an evil there. People go there, but they do not leave."

"Are you seriously not going to drop me off?"

"No. We are going to wait for the other boat, as it was arranged." The man looked down at his watch and looked satisfied with what he saw.

Inuyasha sighed. _Well, at least I feel a bit better when the boat isn't jumping around._ He was about to settle down when he spied a white object coming towards them. Within a minute, it had transformed into a boat. Gathering what remained of his strength, Inuyasha stood in the boat as the other approached.

"Greetings," the new arrival hailed, shouting across the gap. "Inuyasha?" he called, looking directly at him.

"That's me," he said with a cautious look at the newcomer. It was an older man in his mid to low forties.

"It's an honor to finally meet you. I am here to take you to the island." He looked over to the first driver. "Thank you for bringing him here."

"Take your stuff and go," the man said, ignoring the thanks. "The faster I'm moving away from the island, the better."

The newcomer said nothing about the man's rudeness. Extending his arms, he took Inuyasha's luggage before helping Inuyasha across. His feet were barely on the deck of the new boat before the other gunned the engine and turned around back to where it came from. The older man smiled widely as he gestured to one of the seats. "Please," he said quickly. "Take a seat. Make yourself comfortable."

"Are all the people who come here like that?" Inuyasha asked, jerking his thumb back towards the retreating boat.

"Don't mind him. Outsiders fear the island." The boat started moving again, though nowhere near as fast as the other boat. Inuyasha could almost tolerate it.

"Is there anything _to_ fear?" He had a sudden dread that he was walking into one of those movie situations where the entire village turns out to be a cannibalistic society that preyed on anyone dumb enough to pass through.

"Of course not," the man said with a grin. "We are a small community that keeps to ourselves. Many who visit our island falls in love with its charms and decides to stay."

"I see," Inuyasha said, looking forward at the growing island. It seemed to be in almost a bowl that was missing a side. Large hills rose in the far distance on three of the sides before gently declining down to the sea. There, he could see the docks that could house a dozen or so boats. Currently, there looked to be only three. He glanced back to the driver who was focusing on what was ahead of them. "How am I going to get back?"

"What's that?"

"How am I going to get back? Is that guy going to meet us out there again at the end of the week?"

The driver seemed to have no idea what he was talking about. Then it hit him. "Oh that. Yes. We will call someone to meet you to transport you back to the mainland." Something about the way he said it caused some unease in Inuyasha. It was like he never considered the possibility of Inuyasha leaving. Suddenly, the first guys warning seemed a little bit more real about anyone who came to the island didn't leave.

The rest of the trip was in silence. The moment the boat came into contact with the dock, Inuyasha jumped ship with luggage in hand. The world seemed to rock a bit as he made his way over the wood towards land. A young man stood at the end, a wide smile on his face. He stood out because he was dressed like a stereotypical butler – which was ridiculous considering the heat and humidity. His black hair was carefully groomed, a small braid in the back. Steady eyes watched him to the end of the dock. Actually, quite a few people were staring at him. Clearly they didn't get many visitors, as everyone had stopped what they were doing to stare at him.

"Young Master!" the man said, his fit body bowing slightly as he placed one of his gloved hands against his chest. "It is an honor to see you after all these years." He straightened again. "My, you have grown."

"Uh, sorry. Do I know you?"

The question seemed to snap the man back to reality. "How rude of me. I am Miroku, caretaker of your father's estate until it is successfully transferred into your capable hands." He gestured for Inuyasha to come forward. "I have prepared transportation. If you would please follow me." At the same time, he took Inuyasha's luggage. Following Miroku, Inuyasha took a moment to look around. The buildings looked ancient, but in a weird way. They were clearly classically inspired, but the all were newly constructed. It reminded him of a historical village – the ones that hire actors to give an idea of how past generations lived. A vintage car awaited them on the street. Inuyasha was shocked when Miroku opened the door and placed his luggage next to it. The car was an old model. Ancient in the car world, yet it looked pristine. Once inside, Miroku closed the door and put his luggage in the trunk. From there, he climbed into the other side and the car took off. Whoever was driving was behind a privacy wall.

"I will take you on the tour of the city tomorrow. I guessed you would be exhausted after your trip and would like to get rest first."

Inuyasha smiled wearily. "That sounds fantastic."

As the car took a leisurely pace through the streets, Inuyasha noticed there were no other cars on the road. In fact, this seemed to be the only one. "Where are all the cars?" he asked, looking at Miroku.

"This is one of the few cars on the island. As this _is_ an island, importing a vehicle is expensive. Besides, the island itself is not large provided you stay within and around the village. We have a few vehicles to help move cargo and for emergencies, but they are shared among the community."

Looking back out the window, there were more examples of ancient building designs that looked brand new. There were a few exceptions along the way, but they were quite rare. Moreover, he was getting the feeling people were looking at him like at the docks. He could see it as they passed people. They would all stop what they were doing to watch the car pass. Some, he could have sworn bowed as they passed.

"How many people are on the island?" Inuyasha asked.

"Six hundred forty-four," Miroku responded, barely hesitating. "It is a rather small community, so changes to that number spread quickly," he explained. "We have all modern amenities despite the rather quaint appearance of the buildings. Our power comes from several wind turbines and the solar farm located on the northern side of the island. We have diesel generators as backup for the stormy season. Food comes from the fields to the west as well as the sea. Other than a few, nonessential items, our island is completely self-sustainable." There was a pride in his voice as he spoke.

"I see." There was a small hesitation before he continued. "What's with the bowing?"

"Your father was a great man. A well-respected member of the community here. His passing has deeply affected us." He sounded sad as he spoke. Inuyasha wondered how long Miroku had worked for his father. Clearly, they had been close. "They are just paying their respect."

Inuyasha was frowning. "I haven't done anything to earn their respect."

"Your mere presence here is of great importance to us. Finding you was a matter of life and death. Now that you are here, people will sleep easier."

"Were you that worried that my father's estate would be divided into the community?"

"Oh yes," Miroku said, face grim. "Your father was the main reason this village exists. Without him, none of us would be here."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration."

"Not at all." He smiled. "But I know this is all overwhelming to you. In time, all will become clear."

Inuyasha just nodded. Outside, the town had been replaced by dense trees as they continued down a windy road. "So, I don't mean to sound greedy but… how much am I looking at inheriting?"

Miroku smiled. "I assure you Young Master, you will want for nothing." Inuyasha smiled as he leaned back in his seat. He liked the sound of that.

 **oOOOo**

Inuyasha was in awe as the house came into view, the forest giving way to carefully managed landscaping. The house itself was massive. A mansion that sprawled over the cleared grounds. Behind it, the hill grew steeper, returning to dense woods that covered it. The mansion reminded him of a plantation house, only much larger. Towering white columns dotted the wrap around porch, holding the second floor and roof overhang. It seemed like one could walk around outside the house on the second floor as well. Windows dotted the house on both floors, suggesting a multitude of rooms. Like everything else on the island, it was in pristine condition even though it was an older design.

"Wow," he breathed as he stared out the window. The car rolled around the massive fountain in the center of the road. Inuyasha was shocked to find a large gathering of people standing in front of the walkway leading up to the house. There were a lot of strange things, but this was his official top of the day. There had to be fifty or sixty people there. It didn't take long for him to realize the vast majority of them were women. Even more bizarre, while the men looked like Miroku, the women were all dressed in maid costumes. These weren't the sexy maid costumes your lover bought for the bedroom, but real, official maid costumes. They had high collars, with a black lace tied just below the neck. The sleeves were short, ending just an inch or so down from the shoulders. The majority of the outfit was black, though the center was white as well as the apron and trim of the short skirt. All the women were wearing white gloves that ended at the elbow.

"I was not expecting this," he said aloud as the car pulled to a stop.

"The staff wishes to greet you on your return home," Miroku said before stepping out. _I have staff?_ Inuyasha tried the door to find it locked. Frowning, he waited for Miroku to walk around and let him out. As he exited the car, all the people bowed deeply.

"Welcome home Young Master," they all said in unison.

"Uh… Thanks?" he managed to say. This was extremely strange and uncomfortable. Everyone was acting like they knew him, yet he hadn't met a single person until today. None of them looked much older than he was either.

Beside him, Miroku clapped twice as he raised his voice slightly. "Very good everyone. I thank you all for giving the Young Master a warm welcome. Now, I ask you to return to your tasks." With smiles on their faces and a soft murmur of chatter, the large group dispersed into the house. Turning, Miroku faced him with a smile of his own. "Now, welcome home Young Master. Come, let me show you inside."

If the outside was inspiring, the inside was immaculate. He had never seen such a clean building before, let alone something so luxuriously decorated. The floors of the main entrance were marble, lush red rugs marked roads for people to follow. Paintings and statues filled the room and walls. There was a timeless age to everything. It was like everything looked old, but none of it was. It showed the dedication and passion the employees put into their work here.

 _My father must have been a hell of a man to command this much respect and reverence._ It made no sense why his mother left though. For the first time in his life, he felt anger towards his mother, a feeling that immediately made him feel guilt. He could have lived here, growing up in a life of luxury and wealth. Instead, he had to struggle each day to care for a dying woman who had plucked him from the very top of society and abandoned him at the lowest.

"You must be exhausted from your trip," Miroku said, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Should I have a bath drawn for you? Dinner? Or would you simply like to rest?"

Inuyasha realized that he hadn't ate in quite some time. "I could actually use something to eat."

"Perfect. I will have the chef prepare something for you immediately. In the meantime…" He clapped his hands twice. Seemingly out of nowhere, a woman appeared. When she was standing in front of them, she bowed. "Allow me to introduce you to Sango."

"A pleasure to meet you again Young Master," she said softly.

"Erm, yes," he muttered, not sure what to say. Their familiarity was throwing him off.

"Would you please guide the Young Master to the dinning hall?" Miroku asked.

"Of course." She smiled brightly at Inuyasha. It was far different than the smile he was used to seeing from Mika. Sango was full of life and the desire to live. For her, the future was wide open with possibilities. Even more, she was smiling at _him_. That made him blush. A woman had never smiled at him like that. "If you would follow me…"

As they separated from Miroku, he continued to look around as he slowly trailed after her. The house was massive and there was so much to see. "This is a beautiful house," he said softly. Silently, he tried to imagine how much a place like this went for. It easily exceeded twenty million. _God, what the hell am I going to do with all that money when I get it?_ This was even before he got whatever liquid assets his father had.

"It is, and it is your home."

They walked a bit more in silence before he spoke up. "Why does everyone call me Young Master?"

"Because that's who you are. You are the son of the Master. Once you take official ownership of this house, you will become the Master."

He scratched his chin. "Yeah but… It makes me a bit uncomfortable."

Sango tilted her head. "I'm not sure I follow."

"Calling me Young Master and the bowing. It's all a bit much."

"I'm sorry. It's just… We've always done things this way."

"You called my father Master?"

"Of course." She made it sound like that was the most obvious thing in the world.

A few more steps in silence. "What was he like?"

"The Master?" She thought for a moment. "Kind. Loving. Powerful. Loyal. Caring. Passionate. Strong. Intense." None of those gave Inuyasha any clearer idea of who his father was. Sango seemed to realize this because she looked over her shoulder. "Your father was a great man who gave so much to this island and its people. He also loved your mother very much."

"You knew my mother?"

"Of course. I know everyone on this island." This surprised him. She looked to be around his age. Maybe, just maybe, she was pushing thirty, but he figured she was probably closer to low twenties. "Here we are," she said, opening a large door to reveal a long table in a wide sweeping hall of a room. "If you would take a seat at the head, I will go check on preparations."

"Before you go," he said quickly. She turned and smiled at him patiently. "I have to know. What's up with the maid outfits?"

Sango blinked a few times, like she didn't understand the question. Looking down, she examined her uniform. "We have worn these since long before you were born. Do you dislike them?"

"Well, no, but I haven't seen someone wear them for work since I went to a maid café a few years back."

"These were the uniforms the Master wished us to wear. Of course, you may change them to something more to your tastes. Is there something you wish for us to wear?"

"No! No," he said, clearing his throat. "They look… nice." Sango beamed at him in joy. "That is all." With another bow, Sango left him alone in the room.

Not sure what to do now that he was alone in the massive room, he took a moment to look at the paintings that decorated the wall. He paused before two of them. They were pictures of two intense men. It was clear they were related. One was slightly older than the other, but not by much. He figured the older one was probably in his late thirties while the younger one was early thirties. The last one was a larger painting of a family. The clothing the people wore betrayed its age. _I wonder how much these would go for…_

"Young Master," a female voice softly called. He turned from his thoughts to find another maid standing there. "I-I just would like to say, on behalf of all of us… T-thank you for returning home." He tilted his head to the side, confused. She blushed, eyes flitting away from his own.

"Cecile, return to your duties," an authoritative woman commanded behind him. The demure woman paled, eyes widening before bowing deeply and scuttling off the way she came. Turning, Inuyasha found a striking woman making her way to him. Unlike the other women he had met thus far, she had a critical look in her eye as she sized him up. She was also not smiling, her lips a thin line. "Young Master," she started, voice low as she appraised him like some prized cattle. He remained in place as she made her way around him, circling him like a hawk determining the best angle to swoop down and snatch its unsuspecting prey. Stopping before him, she gave a sharp nod. "It seems like you have remained in relatively good shape. I am glad Izayoi did not _completely_ abandon her duty."

The contempt in her voice touched a nerve. "I don't know who you are but—"

"Kikyo." The woman's voice was terse, maybe even emotionless. "I am – _was_ – housekeeper here at the manor." She tilted her head up proudly. "I intend to continue that role until the new master chooses my replacement."

With a smug smile, Inuyasha leans forward. "In case you haven't noticed, _I_ am the new master around here."

Her sharp glare killed his smile as he felt his back straighten. "You may carry the Master's blood, but you are _not_ the Master until you are chosen." Inuyasha blinked, startled and confused. He stood there, mute. Her expression softened slightly. The tone was almost warm and concerned as she continued. "Izayoi… How is she?" she asked softly.

"She died," Inuyasha said slowly. "About five years ago."

To his surprise, the woman closed her eyes and nodded graciously. It was as if a suspicion had been confirmed. When she opened her eyes, there was a gentleness that had not been there a moment ago. She opened her mouth to speak.

"Kikyo?" She looked past him as he turned to the voice. Miroku was standing there looking displeased. He gave a concise smile as two maids walked past him carrying trays of food. "I believe you have duties to attend… yes?"

"As housekeeper, I was merely introducing myself to the Young Master." Miroku didn't look convinced, staring the woman down. It was an odd dynamic playing out as Inuyasha looked between the two. Neither of the two looked much older than he was. _Rich people sure are an odd bunch._ While he doubted any of the servants were actually rich, hanging around this environment clearly did a number on their attitudes. Kikyo looked back to Inuyasha and smiled. "As I was saying Young Master. If there is anything you need, feel free to ask of it and I shall do my best to make your stay a pleasant one."

"Uh… right," Inuyasha said, trying to match her fake smile with his own. She spun on her feet and walked to the door. He was impressed with the grace of her movements.

"I apologize for that Young Master," Miroku said, quickly coming to his side. "Kikyo means well. The Master's passing has been… stressful… for all of us."

"Inuyasha," he said, turning to face Miroku. "Calling me 'Young Master' sounds kind of creepy. Just call me Inuyasha."

"Of course… Inuyasha." Inuyasha grinned. Miroku had managed to make his name just as awkward sounding as 'Young Master' had been.

Rubbing his hands, Inuyasha looked back to where the women had been setting up a sizable spread of food. "But that's enough about that… I'm starving!" There was one thing that had been drilled into him young: Never, _ever_ turn away free food. Seeing the massive heap of food he had never seen before, Inuyasha began to wonder if he _had_ died. That the man in the suit who called his name had actually put a round or two in him and Inuyasha was in the final moments of bleeding out, his brain painting him a pleasant lie before fading out into oblivion.

He took a seat at the table, mouth watering as Miroku proudly announced the dished before him. Inuyasha had never heard of most of them. Hell, he would be hard pressed to repeat the names. That didn't stop him from digging in. _Shit,_ he thought between mouthfuls. _I could get used to this._

 **oOOOo**

The servant quarters were abuzz with excited gossip – even with Kikyo doing her best to squelch the idle chatter. Even with the arrival of the Young Master, there was still work to be done. Clothes needed washed, banisters dusted, floors swept. Being midweek, they needed to take the truck down to the village for their weekly supplies. Kagome had to admit, it _was_ difficult to focus on work with all the excitement. Since Master Taisho passed away, the manor had been suffering in morale. It took a solid month of grieving for things to even begin to resemble normal. The following months, everyone had thrown themselves into their work trying to forget the pain they all felt. Worse, they could see the effect of the Master's death bleed away from them. It wasn't just the manor. The village itself was in a panic as everyone began to contemplate the implications.

Sango was nearly breathless as she tapped Kagome on the shoulder. "I _saw_ him!" she gasped, leaning forward. "I actually _saw_ him!"

Kagome frowned, looking up at her friend. " _Everyone_ saw him silly," she said with a grin. "We all greeted him, remember?"

"Yes, yes," she said, waving her hand in front of her face. "But I _saw_ him. Up close!" Her smile widened. "I even talked to him."

Kagome leaned back in her chair to get a better view of her friend. She couldn't help but be curious. "And? How is he?"

There was a pause. Concern appeared on her face as she thought back. "He was a little on the thin side. Nothing too bad, but… Concerning." She fidgeted. "I don't think he had an easy time out there."

Kagome frowned, feeling an old anger boil up inside her. "Of course he didn't. How could he outside the island?" She took a deep breath, closing her eyes to help dissipate the anger. _It doesn't matter anymore. He's here. He's safe now._ "All that matters now is that the Young Master has returned."

Sango smiled, her shoulders relaxing. "You think everything is going to go okay?"

Kagome gnawed on her lower lip. It was the fear everyone had. She could sense it as she looked around at the other girls. They were chatting happily, smiling, _celebrating_. But that was only a cover for the fear they all held. _Yes, he returned, but will the island accept him?_ It wasn't the time to dwell on that. Not now. They had to take the small victories where they could. Just finding him had been a miracle in itself.

"I don't know," Kagome found herself saying, her voice quiet enough so just Sango could hear. "I guess we'll have to find out in time."

Sango nodded sadly. "Yeah. The one thing we don't have."

 **OOOOo**

Inuyasha couldn't remember when the last time he had felt so full before. He had stuffed himself to the brim… then ate a few _more_ bites for good measure. Now, he felt sick as he followed Miroku around for a tour of the house. The discomfort was far better than the hunger pains of an empty stomach.

Leaving the dining room, Inuyasha found the house was a giant maze. He was lost after the first few turns. Miroku's words were lost on him as he looked at the décor that lined the halls. Paintings, suits of armor, old antiques in such pristine condition that he could have named his price.

 _And this is all mine._ He vaguely remembered that he had a half-brother, but there was no indication that he would be involved. Even if his half-brother ended up with 90% of everything, there was more than enough left over for Inuyasha to live the rest of his days as a king.

Priceless trinkets weren't the only thing to catch his eye. It was impossible to not notice the women moving about the manor. Besides the uniform and the deep bows as he passed, Inuyasha couldn't help but notice how _attractive_ they all were. Just like everything else in the manor, the women were images of flawless perfection. Then again, they could have been average and his standards were so low, everyone looked like a model of perfection. Where he was from, the bar was quite low. Not having obvious track marks was probably the best you could ask for. He would have thought catching their eye would overjoy him, but for a man who had spent the better part of his life as invisible, suddenly being the focus of attention was unnerving and unnatural. It made him uncomfortable how everyone seemed to be ready to leap to cater to his every need.

They must have been walking for an hour before Inuyasha finally stopped Miroku. He realized they hadn't even gotten to the second floor yet. "I don't mean to be rude, but how long is this going to take?"

Miroku seemed surprised. "I'm sorry?"

Inuyasha smiled awkwardly, realizing his question came off as rude. "I mean… not the tour. The paperwork. How many days to get everything settled?"

The butler relaxed. "Ah that. No more than a few days I suspect."

Inuyasha shifted anxiously. "So uh… as nice as all this is, I really would like to just rest up. The boat ride over was… intense."

Miroku grimaced as if he had been physically struck. "Of course. I apologize for my thoughtlessness."

Inuyasha chuckled. "I wouldn't go that far…"

"Master Taisho was never good with the water either."

"Yeah?" That piece of news was probably the most he had learned about his father since he came here. His eyes followed a maid as she passed. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she smiled at him. _That and his odd taste in uniforms._

"I'll take you to your room."

"I would appreciate that." He followed Miroku upstairs and through winding hallways. He smiled politely and nodded awkwardly at the maids as he passed them. They stopped before two large wooden doors.

"Your room – at least for the moment," Miroku said as he pushed open the doors to reveal a massive room. It was as disgustingly ornate and pristine as the rest of the house. Deep red wood ran along the base of the wall, giving way to a dark red paint. The floor itself was a lush red carpet. The bed was center stage from his position at the door. It was gargantuan. It could fit three or four comfortably. Miroku walked inside, Inuyasha following, mouth agape. "There is a full, private bath through that door," he said, gesturing to the right. "Unfortunately, we do not have your size, so your wardrobe is sadly limited to what you brought with you. If you have a request, please let me know and I will have it brought to you."

"This is… amazing."

Miroku smiled proudly. "It is not the master room, but I do hope it is satisfactory."

Inuyasha was surprised. "There is a bigger room than this?"

"Of course. However, it is the Master's room."

Inuyasha nodded slowly. "No… No this is perfect. This is… more than perfect."

"I'm happy to hear you say that," Miroku said with a grin. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"

"No, you've done more than enough. Thank you."

"It is a pleasure Young Master." Inuyasha let that slide. It was clear certain mannerisms were drilled into the poor guy. "If you need anything at all, please let us know." He gestured to an antique looking phone sitting on the nightstand. "You can use that phone if you do not wish to leave the room." Inuyasha nodded. "May I inform the chef you will be having breakfast in the morning?"

"Oh yes. You definitely may."

With that, Miroku gave him a bow and backed out of the room, closing the doors as he exited.

"Fuck. Me." Inuyasha muttered softly as he looked around the room. With a running start, he leapt onto the bed, laughing as he sunk into the soft bed. It was heaven. It had to be. He closed his eyes, a smile permanently etched on his face. "I could get used to this."

 **oOOOo**

Inuyasha figured he dreamed. He would never remember them, but he was under the impression that everyone had them. This was the first time he realized he was in a dream. He could finally understand how people found them bizarre. In his dream, everything was black and white. He stood atop a black island. It was tiny, barely enough for him to stand upon. Surrounding him was a pure white light. An ocean of light. If he looked close enough, he could see the tiny waves crash against the black land that made up the island. The sky was as black as the island he stood upon. Off in the far distance, there was a straight line where the sky met the white ocean.

And that was it. He couldn't move from his island. Standing there, he looked around, trying to find some purpose to his dream. That he _knew_ it was a dream was weird as well. Looking up, he shouted to the sky, demanding he wake up. He cursed loudly, feeling cheated. The first time he was conscious of a dream and it wasn't anything _good._ There should have been a supermodel hanging off him. Hell, he would have settled for any of the girls working in the manor. Well, maybe not Kikyo. No matter how good she looked, she still seemed like a bitch. Still, he had heard from a lot of the thugs and gangsters that those where the freakiest ones in bed.

Movement caught his eye. He watched in awe as a figure emerged from the ocean. It seemingly walked on water, moving towards him until it was a few dozen steps away. Like everything else, it was awash in pure white. The only reason he could see it was due to the black sky behind it.

"Hello?" he asked, hearing his voice echo around him. The figure said nothing, standing there. It was immensely creepy as the thing had no facial features. Just a general shape of a human. Without a word, the thing held out its arm, offering him a hand. It said nothing, unmoving as it continued to hold out its hand. Inuyasha stared at it until the dream was broken by the morning sun.

 **oOOOo**

 **Been a while since I last sat down and started writing. The ideas are there, but actually taking the time to sit down and write them isn't. I've actually been sitting on three chapters of this story, but never got around to releasing them. So far, this story is more Inuyasha-centric than my other stories. As a warning, if you don't like harem-esk stories, you probably won't like this one. Expect non-traditional pairings as well.**

 **As always, hope you enjoyed. Until next time…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any characters associated with it. This story is rated for a mature audience and may contain language, violence, sex, and/or gore.**

 **oOOOo**

Breakfast was not nearly the selection as his dinner the night before, but to a man who was used to not having breakfast, it was a treat. The food was delicious. As he chewed on his slice of fish, he glanced over to the maid who stood off to the side. _And there is the downside._ It was weird being watched all the time. Even if they were there to assist him, it was just too damn weird. Not to mention the dream he had last night.

Swallowing his food, he turned his head. The maid was watching him intently. It was different than the other looks he got. It was almost as if she was struggling to determine if she knew him or not. One of those awkward positions where someone looked _so_ familiar, but you couldn't place how or where you knew them from.

"What's your name?" he asked, trying to be polite. She jerked at his voice, as if woken from a reverie. She smiled bashfully.

"Kagome."

"Kagome," he repeated, nodding slowly. For a moment, he wondered what that hopeful look in her eye came from. "That's a nice name."

"T-thank you," she said, clearly trying to hide her disappointment.

He frowned. "Do I know you from somewhere?" She _did_ look familiar now that he was looking at her critically.

She smiled, but he could tell her heart wasn't in it. He had seen that smile too many times in his life. It was the smile his mother gave when she greeted a 'guest' before ushering him into her room. "No. I…" She paused. "I have never left the island before."

He shook his head. "No. There is definitely something about…" He snapped his fingers. "That's it! You remind me of the housekeeper!"

Kagome blinked a few times in surprise. "I suppose I would. I'm—"

"Are you finished?" Miroku asked, walking into the dining room.

"Yes, thank you," Inuyasha said, wiping his mouth with his napkin before getting up. He had barely moved away and Kagome and the other maid were already clearing his dishes. He felt bad. As someone who had spent his life doing things himself, it was unnerving to have someone doing things for him. "You sure I can't do anything to help?" he asked, looking after the women as they disappeared through the door leading to the kitchen.

"Nonsense. That's why we are here," Miroku said. "You expressed interest yesterday, so I set up the paperwork in the study. We can start whenever you are ready."

Inuyasha rubbed his hands excitedly. _Finally!_ _I can see some numbers._ "Lead the way."

 **oOOOo**

Inuyasha was at a complete loss. He had been living in the manor for three days now. His morning and afternoon filled with paperwork. Miroku was doing his best to explain, but it was all lawyer speak. The words seemed to wrap around themselves and choke out any understanding. The den itself was a masterpiece. Ancient books filled the shelves. The reading area had two comfortable looking chairs by an unlit fireplace. The entire room was a rich, dark wood. It was clear that this was a focus room for the cleaning because there wasn't a speck of dust in the room. The desk that he currently sat at was massive. Not a single thing was out of place. Miroku stood beside him, tossing paper after paper at him. Finally, he could take no more and excused himself to wander the manor.

He found himself outside in the garden, something he had discovered on the second day. If he found the front impressive, it had nothing on the back. Carefully groomed landscaping awaited him. It was larger than the manor and even more a maze. It didn't take him long to lose himself, but he was oddly unconcerned. There was a feeling of familiarity with this place. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. It was nice breathing in air untainted by the fumes of gasoline and of tens of thousands of people packed together. A few more twists and turns through the maze and he found himself at a large pond. A small fountain bubbled at the far end. Smiling, he crossed the tiny bridge, looking down to see the fish swimming beneath him.

 _I could get used to this place._ He hadn't slept as well as he had the last few nights – even with the weird dreams he was having. Every night, that figure would just stand there, offering its hand to him. But the food was great. The people… well, nothing was perfect. It was a small, isolated island that had clearly developed some weird customs. Odd as they were, they seemed genuinely happy he was here. He didn't understand why they were so gung-ho to take care of his every need. Even if his father was a great man, it was weird that they were so willing to transfer that to him. Despite the perfection of this place, there was something bothering him. It was a tingle on the back of his neck. A whisper in his thoughts. It was a skill he had honed over the years on the street. He wouldn't have survived as long as he had without that little warning. The feeling that something was off here. He kept waiting for the curtain to drop. To reveal the truth behind this fabulous lie. After all, nothing was this perfect. Nothing. If there was one thing he had learned, it was humans always worked to benefit themselves. He held no illusions that he would not be here unless there was something they wanted from him. What that was… he had no idea.

"Oh!" A surprised voice startled him, causing him to spin around. He nearly lost his footing on the bridge and went tumbling into the pond. While it wouldn't have put him in any danger, it would have been immensely embarrassing. Managing to recover his footing without dumping himself into the pond, he looked up to find a familiar face standing at one of the entrances to the walled garden. "I'm sorry Young Master. I didn't realize—"

Inuyasha straightened himself, doing his best to recover in the coolest manner he could. "It's Kagome… right?" Surprised, she nodded. He smiled in victory. He hadn't seen her since breakfast the second day. "Right. What brings you out here?"

"I…" she hesitated.

"Go on. I'm not going to tell."

She smiled. "I like it out here. I have… good memories of this place." Inuyasha determined that he really liked when she smiled. The genuine kind, not like the one she had given him at breakfast when he first met her. "It helps me relax."

He looked around. "This does seem like a good spot to get away. Secluded… peaceful." He smiled. "And probably known by everyone here."

Kagome laughed. It was even better than her smile. "That is certainly true, but not many people come here anymore."

"Oh?"

She suddenly looked sad. "The Master used to relax here." Her eyes floated to a stone bench at the far side of the pond. "Every afternoon, he would sit on that bench and read. We would bring him tea and he would talk to us." Her smile turned warm. "It was just about the only time someone could talk to him privately. He was always so busy."

Inuyasha suddenly felt sad. Sad that he hadn't been able to meet this great man who had enraptured everyone here. "How long did you know my father?"

"My entire life," she said. "I was born here – the manor that is. My mother works here." He tried to run through the faces he had seen, trying to place one old enough to be her mother. Coming up with nothing, he didn't let it bother him. The place was so big, it would be hard to run into everyone in such a short time.

"And your father?"

"He… is no longer with us."

"I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "That was a long time ago."

There was a long silence. Inuyasha noticed that she hadn't moved from her spot. It was like she was ready to make a run for it at the drop of a hat. He looked up at the clear blue sky and took a deep breath, enjoying the salty air. "I came here hoping for answers, but I only find questions." He glanced over to see her with a carefully crafted neutral expression. "Everyone here has nothing but kind words for my father. 'He was a great man. A kind man. A man of the people.'" He looked around. "This place has just about everything a person could ask for. So why did she do it? Why did my mother run?" He frowned. "It's one thing if she wasn't happy, but why take me with her? Why did she hide? What was she hiding _from_?"

Inuyasha had grown up knowing how to get a read on people. It was a life skill you needed to pick up fast. Kagome was a blank page, her face completely unreadable. That too, was a life skill of another sort. It was the first time any of this felt real. The first crack in this perfect façade they were trying to paint him.

He took a step towards her. "You know something, don't you?"

She took a step back. She was smiling, but it was the same smile she had given him at breakfast. He had seen her real smile. She might have fooled him had he not seen that. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He didn't take another step forward. She was already in a flighty mood. This was the first time he felt he could get some actual answers and didn't want to scare her away. "Fair enough," he said with a disarming shrug. "Do you know why Miroku is trying to keep me here?"

"Keep you here?"

Inuyasha grinned. "I may not be the most educated of people, but I know when I'm being fed bullshit."

"I-I don't understand."

"I don't understand much about what Miroku is talking about, but there is one thing I know for a fact. Something this big, with this much money? There is no way the government isn't going to be involved in this. Two days of forms and paperwork, and no mention of taxes? That's suspicious." Her eyes gave it away. She may have been able to keep her emotions from her face, but her eyes told him all he needed to know: she knew. Maybe not the whole story, but she knew _something._ And that instant, she realized that he had seen through her.

"I can't say," she finally said, dropping her faked ignorance.

"I understand your position, but it's only you and me right now."

She studied him for a long time. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

 _That doesn't sound good._ Suddenly, the chances of this place being a strange death cult was growing larger by the minute. _Fuck. I should have listened to the guy on the boat._ "Why don't you try me?"

"It would be better if you found out for yourself."

He looked around. "One thing I've learned in life is that when you get the feeling it's time to split, it's best to do just that."

Her eyes widened in shock. "You're leaving? You can't!"

This time, Inuyasha put a little heat in his voice. He didn't like people telling him he couldn't do something. There were precious few things in his life he could control, and leaving was _definitely_ one of them. "You going to stop me?"

She straightened her back. "I don't have to. We are on an island."

He had to admit, that _was_ a pretty good point. It was problem number one and a seemingly insurmountable one. "There are boats down at the harbor. I'll just steal one of those."

"You know how to drive a boat?" She sounded amused. He bristled at her tone.

Inuyasha shrugged, still trying to look calm. "It can't be too hard. I'm a fast learner."

She crossed her arms. "Okay, so you steal a boat. Where do you go? Do you even know the direction the mainland is in?" There was a long silence. Finally, he pointed slightly to her right. Without a word, she pointed to her left.

He grinned. "Well, now I know."

Kagome gave a heavy sigh. "Despite your looks, you are nothing like your father."

Inuyasha shrugged. "Can't be someone you've never met." She gave him a sad look. He didn't want her pity.

"Have we done something wrong?" she asked after a long silence. She seemed genuinely sad. "If there is anything that we have been lacking in, please tell us."

"It's that right there!" he said loudly, thrusting his finger towards her. She stepped back in shock. "Why are you being so nice to me? Why go through all this trouble for me? It doesn't make sense! I'm a nobody."

"Your father—"

"I'm not my father!" he shouted. "I don't even know the guy!" She scurried out of his way as he stormed past her. He paused, looking over his shoulder. "And I _appreciate_ how much everyone reminds me of that."

In his anger, he quickly realized that he hadn't been paying attention to where he was going. Now that he was completely lost in the maze of a garden, he let his anger fade with a sigh. In a way, he regretted talking to Kagome like that. She seemed to care about him. They all did. It was just frustrating. He was angry at his mother. Being here, living like this… It just didn't make sense for her to run away and bring him with her. If they hadn't have found him, he would have spent his entire life scrapping together a living, wondering if today was his last.

Taking a deep breath, he looked up into the sky. "Why did you do it?"

 **oOOOo**

"He knows you're stalling," Kagome said, barging into the room. Kikyo and Miroku looked up in surprise as she moved towards them.

Miroku gave an unsure smile. "I'm sorry, but that's impossible."

"He said something about taxes – or rather the lack of them." Miroku frowned, turning inward to think.

After a few seconds, Kikyo looked down at him, confused. "Taxes?"

"I… may have forgotten to address that aspect." He nodded. "That would make sense…"

"Miroku…" Kikyo began, drawing out his name.

"I did the best I could! I told you this was never going to work. We should have just told him from the beginning."

Kikyo frowned. "You know that would have never worked. We need to buy time—"

"We ran out of that months ago," Kagome said. Kikyo shot her a look, but Kagome ignored it. That might have worked once, but that was a long time ago. "So, what do we do now?" Kikyo and Miroku looked at each other. The silence was all she needed to know. "Well we have to do _something_. I don't think he's going to stay in place much longer."

"We're on an island," Kikyo said.

"Did that stop Izoyoi?" Kikyo grimaced at the name and the three fell silent.

Miroku was the one who broke the silence. "We need to consider the possibility that our time here is at an end." Both women looked at him. He leaned back in his chair and spread his hands out on the desk. "We knew that bringing him here might not fix things. It was a long shot to begin with." He sighed. "Even if it _did_ work. He has spent too much time on the mainland. He doesn't understand how things here work. What if he doesn't want to cooperate? We can't lock him up and force him."

"Why would _anyone_ want to leave?" Kikyo said, leaning heavily against the desk. "Have we done something wrong? We have done everything, _everything_ to make him welcome here."

Kagome bit her lower lip. "Maybe we went a bit too far in that regard." Both eyes were on her. "We all know him. We all _act_ like we know him. Look at it from his perspective. He knows nothing of this place. It's clear Izayoi went through great lengths keeping him away from us, so it's reasonable to think she didn't tell him anything about us or his heritage." Her eyes fell to the floor. "I think… we have underestimated the impact his life had outside the island." She looked up at the two again. "He's naturally suspicious of people – something we can't relate to. It is also clear he is uncomfortable with everyone treating him like we treated Master Taisho."

This time, the silence seemed to stretch forever.

"Well fuck," Kikyo said, pushing herself up from the desk. Kagome watched as the woman left the room. She looked down at Miroku who was staring at the desk.

"We knew it was a long shot," she said softly, reaching out to rest a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah. I just… I thought – I _hoped_ – it would work."

"We all did."

He looked up at her. "What are we going to tell the others?"

"I'll take care of it." He nodded. "We should make arrangements." He tilted his head. "For the Young Master. It would probably be best if he wasn't here... for the end." The last three words were a struggle. It was hard to believe that after all this time, this was how it was going to end.

"You're right. I'll make the arrangements," he said, reaching for the phone. She reached out and held his hand back.

"Why don't we wait until tomorrow?" She smiled down at him. "I think there is something more important you should be doing." He shook his head, confused. She took a deep breath, fighting back tears. "The way I see it, no point in sticking to rules anymore, right?" It took him a second to understand what she was suggesting.

"Ah, right," he said, smiling. "I guess that is true." He stood up. "Well then," he said, tugging at the lapel of his tux. "How do I look?"

"Tired."

He laughed. "I guess that will have to do."

When she was alone, she looked down at the desk, running her hands along the sturdy wood. Her eyes moved to the chair, remembering the man who used to sit there. "Yeah," she said softly. "I guess it will."

 **oOOOo**

Night had fallen across the island. Inuyasha had found his way out of the garden, put the manor to his back, and just started walking. He wondered if he was making a mistake leaving, but he didn't care. The jig was up. Kagome had undoubtedly told whoever was in change that he knew they were up to something. Going back there was a gamble. It could be that everything they did and said was legitimate. He would go back there and they would explain to him how everything was just a big misunderstanding. He would fill out his paperwork and leave with a huge sum of money and live the rest of his life as a king.

 _Or_ he could return to find an angry cult ready to sacrifice him to their demonic god for the promise of eternal life. The way everyone was acting, he was going for the latter. So he ran – or rather stumbled. A few hours and the forest gave way to a steep incline. He continued to climb until he was exhausted. Normally, something like this would have been easy for him, but he was still suffering from the accident. His back was hurting and his leg was on fire. Plopping down on the grass, he looked up and watched the sky transition to stars. He could hear the blades of the nearby wind turbines cut through the air as he contemplated his options. At this point, he was sure his time was at an end. He had willingly come to his death.

 _But is it really so bad? Going out like this…_ For the first time in his life, he had eaten until he could no more. He slept on a bed so soft, he wouldn't have believed such a thing existed a week ago. Most of all, he felt _important._ The people here revered him. Odd and uncomfortable, yes, but even if it was really the influence of his father, it had felt good at some deeper level – even if it was a lie. For the first time, someone was acknowledging him as a person.

This wasn't the first time he had slept outside. The difference here being the nice, crisp breeze from the ocean and the soft earth below him. It was a massive difference from the stale air of the city and the hard, unforgiving concrete. Closing his eyes, he let the thrum of the wind turbines lull him to sleep.

 **oOOOo**

The dream was waiting for him. By now, he would have been disappointed if it hadn't shown up. He was standing on the island like normal. He looked around, waiting for the mysterious figure to show up. It seemed like forever now that he was waiting for it. Time seemed to creep by and Inuyasha began to wonder if the figure wasn't going to show this time. He turned his head, watching as the figure seemed to simply walk out of the white ocean water towards him. Like always, it stood motionless in that same spot. There, it reached out, offering its hand. Tonight, Inuyasha was different. He no longer had anything to lose.

Taking a cautious step forward, his foot began to sink into the white ocean only to stop a half inch down. He frowned, giving his foot some pressure. Whatever was under his foot, it seemed like it would support his weight. The white water flowed over his foot, stopping just under the ankle. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his other foot off the island and slid it into the water. Like the first one, it hit something solid.

 _So here I am… walking on water._ Looking up, he found the figure standing in the same position. It didn't react at all to his movements. Shakily, Inuyasha moved towards the figure one cautious step at a time. It was disturbing not being able to see where he was stepping. He kept expecting to set his foot in the liquid and there not being anything under it to catch him. In no time at all, he stood before the figure. It stood motionless, an armlength away. Inuyasha examined the offered hand. Up close, it was clear that the figure was made from the same white water he was standing in. He could see the fluid motion of a current, forcing the liquid into a rough hand shape.

Looking up at the featureless face, Inuyasha smiled. "Well it's nice to meet you too, creepy water thing." Reaching forward he slapped his hand against the liquid one and went to give it a hearty shake – only to find the arm was as unmovable as a stone statue. He tried to pull his hand away, only to see it had merged inside the hand. It was like trying to pull his hand from tar. He could feel it give ever so slightly, yet remain firmly entrenched inside.

"Funny," he said, frowning. "Now how about you let go?" When the thing didn't respond, he pressed his free hand against the chest, trying to get leverage to free his hand. Only after his hand sunk into the things chest did he realize how stupid that idea had been. "Fuck man. Let go!" The more he struggled, the tighter the thing seemed to hold. His panic grew when he realized the figure was melting back into the ocean – and pulling him down with it.

"Shit, shit, shit!" he cried out, pulling with everything he had. It was a steady, slow pace, as if the creature was unconcerned with his struggle. He was so focused on his hands, that he didn't realize his feet were sinking until he felt the water at his knees. At that moment, he knew beyond a doubt that he was royally, and utterly fucked. That didn't stop the animal part of his brain from struggling each and every second as his body was slowly consumed by the ocean of white.

 **oOOOo**

Gasping for air, Inuyasha sat up. He was soaked in sweat as he patted himself down. He was… alive. Slowly, it dawned on him. "A dream," he whispered, looking towards the hint of sun on the horizon. He began to laugh, the slow chuckle turning into an uncontrollable howl. He hadn't laughed like that in a _long_ time. Tears in his eyes, he wiped them with a finger, feeling incredibly stupid.

It was at this moment that his stomach growled angrily at him. A few days of food had spoiled the man living within him. Now he was demanding to be fed and was throwing a fit. Sitting on the grass, he watched the sunrise. If things went as he planned they would, this would probably be his last one. Now, his stomach was _really_ grumpy with him.

"Yes, yes," he said, patting his stomach lovingly. He looked down, seeing the manor in the distance. "Let's go get our last meal."

 **oOOOo**

He expected some reaction to his return, but nothing like _this._ It was as if God himself had come down from heaven and was walking among them. The first person that had seen him was a maid who was watering the landscaping. Her eyes were huge as she looked at him. Once the shock wore off, she ran off towards the manor, shouting happily. Since then, they had been streaming out of the manor. Dozens of them rushing out to stare at him. While he had seen them all when he first arrived, it was hard to believe there were so many people inside the manor and he had not seen them all. Some openly wept, others bounced happily, overcome with joy. He was at a complete loss. He was often troubled when they were being reverent to him, but this? This was something different.

A familiar face appeared – or at least, a relatively familiar one. Miroku pushed his way through the sea of women. His normally immaculate tux was ruffled, his hair unkempt. It was clear he had just woken up and threw everything on as he rushed out. He stepped forward, mouth slightly agape.

"Y-you came back," he said softly. Not knowing what to say, Inuyasha nodded. Something was off, even for Miroku. He wasn't looking at Inuyasha, not exactly. Rather, it was something else. Something on top of his head.

Frowning, Inuyasha reached up to pat the top of his head. Nothing seemed out of place. "Something wrong with my hair?" he asked.

"The island chose you," he said, smile forming.

"The what now?"

"The island chose you!" he said, loudly. Turning, he addressed the staff who had gathered. Towards the outskirts, Inuyasha found another familiar face. It was Kagome. Unlike the others, she seemed far more calm about the situation. Still, she was smiling, her eyes on him. "Everyone! The island has a new Master!"

Inuyasha was surprised when a cheer erupted. More women were weeping, hugging each other as others jumped up and down in excitement. A few, which Inuyasha suspected were supervisors, were fighting a futile attempt to calm them down. As for Inuyasha, he just watched the spectacle. He straightened as Miroku walked towards him.

"Welcome back, Master."

"Uh… Thanks?" It took him a few seconds to catch on to what the man said. "Wait, 'Master?'"

Miroku smiled. "That's correct. You are the new Master now. Everything here on this island, is yours."

Inuyasha took a moment for that to sink in. Him. In charge of the island? _This makes zero sense._ "Just like that?" Miroku nodded. "You don't even know me. I don't know _you_."

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. The island chose you."

"Right…" he said slowly. He had always pegged Miroku as a more rational man, but it was clear that he was as crazy as the rest of them.

Miroku was smiling, as if Inuyasha's disbelief was expected. "Don't believe me? Look for yourself." Without warning, Miroku pulled a blade from the ruffled folds of his tux. In that briefest of instant, Inuyasha knew this was how it ended. He apologized to his stomach, which was where the blade was going to gut him. Instead of a last meal, it would be the first to go. Eyes closed, he waited for the end that never came. Slowly, he opened one, then the other. The blade had disappeared. Instead, Miroku was holding a lock of hair. _His_ hair – or rather, it should have been. Furrowing his brow, Inuyasha reached forward and took the tuff of hair from Miroku. Reaching up, he felt where the blade had cut it from. It made no sense. It was his hair, but it wasn't his hair.

"What the hell is this?" he asked, holding up the hair to Miroku.

"Proof."

Inuyasha looked down at the hair once more. The black hair his mother had given him was gone. What he held now was pure white.

 **oOOOo**

Inuyasha chewed slowly, eyeing the three individuals suspiciously. As far as he knew, these were the main conspirators in everything. He wanted answers, but he also wanted food. It seemed like they viewed him as the boss around here, so he decided to put that to the test. Sure enough, here he was, a delicious hot meal in front of him and the chance to finally get some answers.

"So," he said after swallowing his current mouthful. He already had another lined up, holding it before his mouth as he spoke. "What the hell happened?"

Miroku spoke up first. He had managed to put himself together. His tux and hair was immaculate. "As I told you, the island chose you."

Inuyasha was already chewing. He had expected something more than a one sentence answer. His response was distorted due to the food in his mouth, but it boiled down to, "What the fuck does that even mean?" They seemed to have no problem understanding it.

Miroku glanced over at Kikyo. It seemed like those two were the main ones in charge. Inuyasha had demanded Kagome attend because, in his mind, she was as much in on it as these two. "Well… where to start."

"I'll start," Kagome said, earning a glare from Kikyo. "Master Inuyasha, how old am I?"

Out of everything, Inuyasha was not expecting that. Staring at her, he finished chewing. "Twenty… one?"

She grinned. "Close… I'm actually nineteen." That surprised Inuyasha. He knew she was young, but he pegged her at being in her twenties. "In fact, I turned nineteen… what?" She looked over at Kikyo. "Seventy-six years ago?"

Inuyasha stared at her. "I don't understand."

"Going by how I look, I am a nineteen-year-old woman. However, I was born September 24, 1902. I am 105 years old."

Looking at her, his eyes moved to Miroku and Kikyo. He let out a single, dry laugh. "This is a joke… right?"

Kikyo spoke next. "I was born 1847. I just celebrated my 170th birthday two months ago."

Inuyasha looked at Miroku. He laughed. "Oh, I'm not quite as old as these two. 1929. I'm going to celebrate my 88th birthday here in a few months."

Inuyasha gave the three a disbelieving look. "So… what? You are immortal?"

"Something like that," Miroku said. "It's a bit more complex than that, but essentially… yes. We haven't aged since the appearance you see us as."

"How is that even possible?"

"Your father," Kagome said.

"And his father before him," Kikyo added.

"It is a blessing bestowed upon your bloodline. The ability to stop time – at least where aging is concerned." Kagome smiled. "It's what makes this island special – and _you_."

"And why it choosing you is so important," Kikyo said, picking up where Kagome left off. "You are the only one that can harness its power."

Inuyasha was shaking his head. "I don't understand what you're trying to say. This island is some sort of fountain of youth?"

"Not quite," Miroku said. "It's more like… a stopwatch. You can't turn back time. Every minute you age is there permanently. However, the island – _you_ – have the ability to put that on pause. You keep your finger on the 'pause' button. The moment you let up though… we start aging again."

"As long as you do your job, no one ages," Kikyo said, crossing her arms. "Now do you understand why we said this was a matter of life and death? For us, it is."

"This is crazy. _You_ are crazy. That is impossible. You can't live forever. You just _can't_."

"I know this is a lot to take in," Kagome began, her voice soft. "It will all make sense later, but for now, you have to trust us."

" _Trust_ you? I barely _know_ you. Any of you."

That seemed to hurt Kagome as she looked away.

"Had you grown up here, this would all be second nature to you and you would have naturally taken on your father's role upon his death. However, Izayoi kidnapped you." Kikyo's voice seemed flat and emotionless. "That time away has made you a stranger to the land you were born upon."

"It's why we kept you here. We were hoping the island would recognize you and allow you to reclaim your birthright."

Inuyasha was shaking his head. "Look, I appreciate the hospitality," he said, rising to his feet. "But as great as this all is, I am not going to be your little cult leader. I've seen what that shit does to people and I will _not_ be a part of it."

"Master, please," Kagome started.

"Inuyasha. My name is Inuyasha. I'm not your 'Young Master,' I'm not your 'Master.' I am Inuyasha." He straightened his back, trying to look imposing. "And since you are all so keen on following my orders, fine. I'll give you one: Get me the fuck off this island." The three shared a look. "What? _Now_ you aren't going to follow my orders?"

"You can't," Kagome said softly.

"Why the hell not?"

"As I told you," Miroku started when no one else did. "The island chose you. Leaving now… would kill you."

"Forgive me if I don't believe you."

"It's true," Kagome said. "You were injured when you arrived, yes? I could see it when you walked. You were in pain."

"Yeah. I was in an accident before I came here. Why?"

She smiled. "And now? Does it hurt?"

Now that he thought on it, he _did_ feel better. Like, 100% better. Better than he normally did. He tested out his range of motion and found that what had hurt him yesterday, no longer did. "That doesn't prove anything."

Miroku held his hand out. "May I?"

"What?"

"Your hand." Suspiciously, Inuyasha held his hand out. Miroku gently turned it so the palm side was up. Cradling it gently, Inuyasha watched as he pulled the blade out of his tux. "Forgive me," he said. Before he could even react, Miroku pulled the blade across his skin.

Inuyasha yelled in pain, ripping his hand back. "What the _fuck_."

"I apologize, but we do not have time to convince you through normal means."

"God _damn_. That hurts!"

Miroku grinned. "Does it?"

The moment he said it, Inuyasha realized that it _didn't_ hurt. Checking his hand, he found no evidence of the wound that caused the blood pooled in his palm. Miroku wiped away most of the blood with a piece of cloth.

"That's impossible. I _saw_ you cut me. Shit. I _felt it_."

"As we said," Miroku explained. "You are connected to the island. While you are on this island, you have incredible abilities. Leaving it however…"

"I die," Inuyasha finished. Miroku nodded. "Okay," he said softly, mostly to himself. "Okay, okay. So let's say I believe what you say." The three looked relieved. "What does this mean for me? Do I need to do some… ritual or something?"

The girls smiled while Miroku laughed. They seemed more relaxed now that Inuyasha seemed to be entertaining what they were trying to tell him. "No. Nothing like that." Inuyasha relaxed. "These past few days you were basically performing all of your duties – though in an unofficial manner."

He frowned. "But I wasn't doing anything."

"And you don't need to."

"So all this," Inuyasha said, gesturing to the building around him. "All of you…"

"We are here as much for you as for us. Our job is to protect you and care for your every need and want, and we take our job _very_ seriously. The lives and wellbeing of everyone on this island depends on it."

Inuyasha took a few moments to let everything sink in. He was trying to find a catch to all this. There had to be one. _Lounge around all day in an enormous house with people at your every beck and call?_ Shit, he could live with that. It beat whatever he had waiting for him back on the mainland – jack shit. _Even if these people are a little crazy._ He still didn't know if he believed them on the whole immortality thing, but he couldn't deny something was up. Miroku's little demonstration had proven that.

"So I just… live here?"

"That's right," Miroku said, nodding.

"I don't have to do any rituals… speeches? Nothing like that?"

Miroku smiled. "Not unless you want to."

Inuyasha rubbed his chin. "Okay, why not? I'll give it a shot." The three sighed in relief.

"You won't regret this," Miroku said. Inuyasha glanced down at the plate of food. He had only eaten half of it. Yet as much as it pained him to see food thrown away, he wasn't hungry any more. Honestly, he would have finished it had he not stood up and moved towards the door. The last thing he wanted to do now was embarrass himself by returning to eat.

Nodding, Inuyasha grinned as he thought more on the situation. _Yeah. I think this is going to be great._

Behind Miroku, Kikyo cleared her throat. "Ah, right," Miroku said. _I_ knew _it! I fucking_ knew _it! There is_ always _a catch and you fell for it hook-line-and-sinker!_ "There is… another matter." Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "Now, it's nothing like that. This is more a… logistics issue."

"Logistics? What?"

"Well…" Miroku thought for a minute. "Are you familiar with oil?"

"Are you going to tell me I'm an oil tycoon as well?"

Miroku chuckled. "No. Rather, are you familiar with how oil is collected?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "They drill it out of the ground."

"Pump, actually."

"Whatever."

Miroku cleared his throat. "Yes, well, your situation is quite similar to oil."

"I don't follow."

"The island provides the energy necessary to put aging on hold. However, like oil, it is locked away in the ground. In order for us to collect and use that energy, we need a pump – in this case, you."

"Are you saying I need to pump this energy out of the ground?"

Miroku laughed. Even Kagome chuckled, but quickly fell silent at his glare. "No, no that won't be necessary. This is all a metaphor to help you understand the process." He cleared his throat. "As I was saying, out of the ground, into you, and through you, we can distribute that energy to stave off the aging process."

Inuyasha stared at Miroku, blinking. "I'm going to be honest with you."

"Please do."

"I have no idea what the hell you are talking about."

"Ah, well, what I am trying to say is—"

Behind him, Kikyo rolled her eyes. "To make it all work, you have to have sex with us." Beside her, he could see Kagome blush slightly as she looked away. A silence formed from the long pause that followed her words.

"What?"

"I'm sure you've noticed how many women there are working here?"

"I… may have noticed."

"There is a reason for that. Our job, our _real_ job, is to collect the energy you gather from the island and pass it on to the village as a whole." Suddenly, the oil metaphor made a lot more sense. Just to make sure, Kikyo continued. "You wonder why people here treat you like they do? It's because you are literally holding their lives in your hands. Without you, we die."

He looked accusingly to Miroku. "This would have been a useful bit of information to know _before_ I accepted."

"What does it matter?" Kikyo said, cutting off Miroku before he could respond. "Are you seriously going to complain about your role in all this?"

"It's just… a lot to take in."

Stepping forward, Kikyo met his eyes. He had spent a lot of time dealing with gangsters and thugs, but none of them seemed as intimidating as Kikyo did now. "Well you better sort yourself out quickly. Your father died months ago, and time is _not_ on our side." With that, she spun on her heels and walked out. Inuyasha watched her leave, trying to think of something to say. Instead he merely turned to the two remaining people. While they were polite enough not to say anything, he could tell which side they were on for this – and it wasn't his.

 **oOOOo**

Inuyasha retreated to the solitude of the garden. He stared at the fish swimming in the pond, oblivious to the world and its problems. It was too much to take in. He was expecting something crazy to be going on the island, but this? Immortality. His ability to seemingly heal instantly. _And let's not forget the announcement that pretty much every girl is here for the express purpose of sleeping with you._ He wasn't sure how he felt about that. It was supposed to be every man's dream. There were men in his building that would kill to be where he is now. Yet, when he thought about it, he couldn't help but see his mother – or Mika. Kikyo's words kept echoing in his mind. " _Our job, our_ real _job, is to collect the energy you gather from the island and pass it on to the village as a whole."_

A job. A means of survival. All he could picture now was Mika's worried face as she puffed on her cigarette. How was he any different than the pimp that collected money from her every week? Oh, he didn't threaten them or beat them for not complying. No, he just doomed them to a long and slow death. _A_ natural _death. As it is supposed to be,_ he reminded himself. The more he thought of it, the worse the situation seemed. If _he_ didn't meet the quota, they would be the ones to suffer. Rejecting the situation and refusing to play along would hurt them, not him.

 _Fuck, what did I get myself into?_ He had been stupid. For a moment, he had believed he could actually reap the benefits with no consequences. That wasn't how the world worked. He knew that better than most. There was always a balance. A tradeoff.

"I figured I'd find you here." He lifted his head, turning it to the voice. He found Kagome standing at the entrance, waiting as if she needed permission to enter.

He took a deep breath, sitting up straight. "I can see why my father would come here," he said softly. She seemed to accept that as permission to enter. He watched the skirt of her maid outfit as she made her way over to him. Silently, she settled on the stone bench beside him. "There is a calming presence here." He closed his eyes. "I didn't really feel it before, but now…"

"Your father mentioned that as well," she said, looking out at the pond before them. "He would come here when he was troubled too." She paused, a warm smile forming on her lips. "He would take you here too." She giggled. "I remember watching you hang over the side, trying to catch the fish." He looked over her in surprise. She smiled. "I'm ninety-five, remember? I remember Izayoi's belly before she gave birth to you." There was a warmth in her smile as she relived old memories. "Not a lot of women get pregnant, so she was the center of attention." Kagome chuckled. "She was miserable the entire time, but she would always smile whenever she looked down." She took a breath. "I remember when you took your first steps. Your first words. There is a tree near the edge of the woods. We put a swing there." She smiled off into the distance. "Sango and I would always take you over to it and push you for hours. We would play hide-and-seek there too."

He shook his head. "This… is weird. You seem to know so much about me, but I remember nothing of this."

Kagome smiled, but there was a sadness in her eyes. "You were a few months past four when Izayoi left. It's not surprising that you don't remember it."

"But you do."

"I remember a lot."

The two sat in silence. Inuyasha watched as the fish made lazy circles about the pond. "This is happening, isn't it? This is really happening."

"Yes."

He looked over at her. "And you? Are you part of all this too?"

She nodded. "I am." She sighed. "This much seem strange to you."

He chuckled humorously. "It's actually a lot closer to what I know than you'd think."

Kagome waited for him to elaborate, but when he remained silent, she continued. "If it helps, none of us are here by force. We _choose_ to do this because we believe in it."

He sighed. "I wish that helped things."

Kagome nodded. "Just know that no one is forcing you to do this. Kikyo… she means well. There is a lot at stake. Losing your father… was a surprise. Had we been able to plan, make arrangements, things might have been better. We are doing the best we can with what we have." She looked over at him. "We just want to preserve the life we have. It is peaceful here, forgotten by the world at large. We care about each other." Reaching over, she grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze. "In time, I hope you come to care about us as much as we care about you."

She left him to his thoughts. This wasn't fair. Why did it seem like _he_ was the bad guy here?

 **oOOOo**

Dinner was an exercise in awkwardness. It was different now knowing the truth – or at least a piece of it. He still suspected there was a lot to learn. But that would come in time. The problem he was having now is his blissful ignorance was shattered. He had enjoyed the somewhat flirtatious looks the girls had been giving him. Now it was tainted by the knowledge behind it. Even the uniforms took on a kinky aspect. As he watched the maids come and go with his food, he questioned his father's choice. If they were telling the truth about the immortal thing, there was the possibility that his father just had outdated tastes. _How long has this been going on?_ It was clear that despite his reservations and disbelief towards everything, he was in charge. As a man who was consistently on the other side of the coin, it was a power rush. He was shocked at how quickly it went to his head. It was going to be a challenge to keep his ego in its proper place.

After dinner, he took a quiet stroll around the manor before watching the sun set. Tired from the day's events, he decided to call it a night early. He had been moved to the master bedroom which was twice the size of his previous room. Paintings of various landscapes and people decorated the walls. The general color scheme was the same, which Inuyasha appreciated. He liked the dark wood and reds of the manor. His father certainly shared similar tastes in color. _And apparently women,_ he thought to himself as he watched a maid bring in fresh towels. She gave him a smile when she caught him looking.

"Would you like me to stay?"

"I'm sorry?"

"To assist with your bath." She gestured to the bathroom where the sound of running water could be heard.

Taken aback by her brazen statement, he shook his head. "N-no. That's not necessary."

Her disappointment was apparent as she bowed. "If you require anything else, please let us know." She hesitated just a beat. "Or… if you change your mind." He felt his throat constrict as she brushed past him. He could feel the soft fabric of her uniform against his arm, her perfume teasing him. The solid wooden door closed softly, signaling he was alone. Looking over his shoulder, his gaze rested on the bed centered against the wall. He had enjoyed the size of his old one, but this one dwarfed even that. The implications behind the size were clear now. The bed could sleep four or five comfortably. More if you got close. He suspected that it _had_ slept that many in its history.

 _Is that why mom left? She didn't like sharing with everyone else here?_ It was hard to imagine living like that. She had never spoken of his father. Every time he brought it up, she would just smile and remain silent. Now he knew why. _It was probably painful to think about it._ He took a deep breath and began stripping. He was still torn over how he should feel about his mother's decision to steal him away. No matter how he tried to look at it, there was no comparison between the life he had lived and the one offered here. _Why would someone pick hell when they are living in heaven?_ The only thing that made sense was that his mother was naïve to the ways of the outside world. Life here on the island had left her unprepared for the harsh nature of the world and she had been swept away by reality, forgotten like so many others.

The bathroom was less a bathroom, and more miniature swimming pool. The room was cut from marble slabs. Ornate stone columns rose from the floor to support the ceiling above. He had to step up before stepping down into the water. He guessed it was roughly a third the size of a swimming pool. A gentle flow of hot, steaming water trickled down an ornate waterfall at the far end that was built into the wall. If he wished to cool it down, a switch caused cold water to flow from the mouths of two lion-esk heads in the wall just above the waterline on either side of the waterfall. In all, it was a display of sickening wealth. The bath was heated and filled 24/7 with new water constantly being circulated into the pool. Miroku told him the only time it was shut off and drained was when they cleaned it twice a month.

Stepping down into the water, Inuyasha sighed in relief as he let the hot water melt his worries away. For the next twenty minutes, he refused to think of anything but enjoying himself. He even had a guilty moment of playfulness, splashing water around and mimicking swimming around the pool. As he couldn't _actually_ swim, he was glad the water never got deep enough that his feet couldn't touch the floor.

Pulling himself from the water, he let the water drip from his body as he headed for the small room next to the bath. He was looking at his pruning hands as he pulled a towel from the pile and began to pat and rub himself dry. He noticed the towel was warm, which meant someone had been in here to replace them. Thinking back, he tried to remember the name of the maid from earlier. _There are too many people here…_

His thoughts drifted to Kagome. There were some conflicting emotions there. First impressions of her was how attractive she was. Then again, _everyone_ here was attractive. She also seemed to be more… _understanding_ … than the others. Thus far, she was the only one he had really connected with on a personal level. To be fair, she was also the only one he had held an actual real conversation with. Still, there were things he wasn't sure about. The fact that she seemingly knew a piece of his past he didn't was off-putting. It affected the way she looked at him.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, he looked at himself in the mirror as he rubbed his hair dry. It was disturbing seeing the pale white instead of its normal black. Reaching up, he ran his hand through the damp hair, tilting his head from side to side to get different angles. _Isn't it longer than normal too?_ It had been awhile since he performed his usual routine of hacking away at his hair, but he didn't remember it being so long ago to warrant this level of hair. He shook his head. This new look was also up in the air. _I guess it's another thing to get used to._ Frowning, he continued rubbing the towel against his hair as he stepped outside into his room. Inuyasha froze when he realized he was no longer alone in his room. Kikyo stood near the entrance to his room, a solemn expression on her face. Beside her, there were four others in the room. All eyes turned to him as he gave them a dumbfounded expression. He became painfully aware of his current state of dress, hand dropping the towel to ensure the one around his waist stayed in place.

"Can I help you?" he asked, putting some heat in his voice as he stared at Kikyo. While he didn't say he didn't want to be disturbed, he was pretty sure he had implied it when he told Miroku he was going to retire for the night.

"I have brought four volunteers for your first night. Of course, _everyone_ volunteered, so I selected a few senior maids with the most experience. If there is someone you had in mind already, I will bring them."

"I don't understand." It was a lie – and an obvious one at that. Mostly he was trying to buy time. Playing dumb was always a safe bet when he was growing up. It was amazing how often he weaseled out of trouble by playing dumb. Everyone wanted to feel smart. It put them in a better mood when they believed they were the smarter one in the conversation and thus, more likely to let you go without a beating.

Kikyo wasn't like those he had grown up around. Her lips twitched as she narrowed her eyes. "You have a responsibility."

"Isn't there a grace period? You know… ease into things?"

"We've lost months since Master Taisho passed." Inuyasha could see the faces of the four other women fall at the mention of his father's title. "I'm afraid there is no time to 'ease into things.'"

"Well I'm not going to pick," he said, crossing his arms and forgetting what he was holding. He managed to snatch his towel and hold it in place before anything _too_ risqué was shown. Blushing, he quickly put his towel back in order as 5 pairs of eyes lowered in curiosity. Clearing his throat, he tried to keep his voice level despite the heat he felt in his cheeks. "Anyways, I refuse to do it," he said with defiance in his voice.

"That would actually be preferable," Kikyo began, nodding in approval. "We are going to make up for lost time. Starting with all four would help." Inuyasha looked down the line of women, waiting for someone to voice a protest to the suggestion she was making. None of them seemed phased by the suggestion.

"That's not an option either."

Kikyo frowned. "Why not?"

Inuyasha opened his mouth, but bit back his retort at the last second. He clenched his jaw as he took a second to calm himself and put together a more appropriate response. "It's just not." _Okay, so that wasn't too much better, but_ I'm _the boss here…_ right _?_

"If you are concerned about your performance, I assure you it will be a different experience than what you are used to back on the mainland. Master Taisho was able to easily handle four of us with energy to spare."

Inuyasha closed his eyes for a second, shaking the image from his mind. "Even if I didn't really know him, I _really_ don't want to know about my father's sex life." _Nor the fact that he slept with everyone here on a regular basis…_ He quickly pushed _that_ thought from his mind.

To his surprise, Kikyo closed her eyes and bowed her head. "I apologize. I am still unfamiliar with the customs of the mainland, so I may cross boundaries I am unfamiliar with. I beg your forgiveness for my ignorance."

"N-no, that's okay…" He could handle people being angry with him. He was used to people escalating things, pushing them right to the brink. This? Someone asking _him_ for forgiveness? It was foreign and unexpected.

Kikyo took a few steps forward. Her expression had changed. Instead of the stern appearance he was used to seeing, it was filled with worry and fear. This softer side of Kikyo threw him off. In the moment, she reminded him a lot of Kagome. It allowed her to get close, invading his personal space without him retreating. Her voice was a whisper near his ear. "I understand that this may be difficult for you to understand and accept, but please do not turn them away. I beg you to consider their feelings in the matter. This is a great honor for us. Master Taisho's death has been… demoralizing. For all of us. I may not understand the customs of where you came from, but consider _our_ customs as well." She paused for a moment. "Imagine the impact your rejection will have on us here." She backed away so he could see her eyes. She was pleading with him. He had never expected to see such a side to Kikyo – expecting her to be just a cold-hearted bitch who was a stickler for having things done her way. He had seen plenty of people just like her. Yet this was new. She may have that hard attitude, but it was clear she genuinely cared for the people under her and for her job. Leaning slightly, he looked past her at the four women. They were still standing in place, though he could see them shifting uncomfortably. He wondered when the last time they had ever been in such a position. _Had they even been rejected before?_

Inuyasha kept his voice down, looking back to Kikyo. "I'm not... I'm not choosing all four."

Kikyo nodded, looking relieved. "That is fine."

He nervously glanced at the girls, then back to Kikyo. "I don't know how to do this." He could barely hear his own voice. Kikyo seemed to have no trouble hearing him.

Kikyo smiled. It was odd seeing her smile. And it was disturbing how much she reminded him of Kagome when she did it. Despite her demeanor now, it was clear the two were night and day. "Be yourself. You are the Master now." It looked like she was about to say more, but stopped herself. With a nod, she stepped back, allowing him to pass.

Taking a deep breath, he ensured his towel was properly in place as he moved to the women. The nervous jitters he had seen just moments before were gone as they stood at attention. They smiled at him as his eyes met each one. At a time like this, he couldn't help but appreciate the beauty of the four women standing before him. He was having trouble wrapping his head around the idea that they wanted to be here… with him of all people. The tiny voice in the back of his head tried reminding him that there was an ulterior motive behind it, but every aspect of his being ignored it. For once in his life, he wanted to believe that someone saw him. Wanted him.

But he couldn't help but feel a little sick about the entire situation. Here were four beautiful women, standing before him and he was walking before him like an unsure shopper comparing different brands of the same item. That alone struck too close to home for home and made his stomach turn. He had watched men in his position move down the hall, deciding which woman he would give his business to. The only difference here was none of the women were working to pull his attention their way. It was the only way he managed to get through it. In the end, he chose the third farthest from where Kikyo was standing. There was a clear disappointment in the others as he voiced his pick, but the three who weren't chosen bowed gracefully and left the room. Kikyo was the last one out, bowing as she closed the door behind her.

He took a deep breath, turning away from the woman who remained. She looked ecstatic, standing proudly in place. _It's not the same,_ he told himself as he walked over to where a pitcher of water waited on a table near the bathroom door.

"Oh!" he heard the woman say behind him. "I'll get that!" She rushed past him, pouring him a glass of water. He awkwardly watched her as she handed him the glass, a wide smile on her face. He took a drink of the chilled water. He was stalling for time. The problem was twofold. One, this entire situation was beyond awkward. Two, Kikyo had misunderstood him. It wasn't that he didn't know how to select a girl. He didn't know what to _do_. _How messed up is this? I grew up surrounded by it, yet I've never actually bothered to learn anything about it._ He had seen plenty of porn so the mechanics were down… in theory. Yet he suspected porn was a poor indicator of the actual process. _It can't be_ that _hard._ If it had a steep learning curve, humanity would have gone extinct long ago. Doing it well however…

"Thank you," she said in a small voice, breaking him out of his thoughts. "For choosing me," she explained, eyes skirting the ground. It was the main reason why he picked her out from the others. She seemed less confident than the others, and therefore a lot less intimidating.

"Don't thank me yet," he said, downing the remainder of the water. She seemed confused, but was trying to be polite about it. "I've actually never done this before."

 _That_ surprised her, her mouth hanging open. "Y-you mean—"

"Yep. Hard to find time for a girl when you are bouncing between three jobs and wondering where you'll find the next meal." That wasn't necessarily true. Mika's offer hadn't been the first time a woman offered him her services for free. It was amazing how fucked up the world was when simple kindness could be used like currency. He had no idea why so many of them had soft spots for him. Maybe it was because he treated them like an actual human being when they had long since stopped viewing themselves as one.

"T-this honor… I… I don't know what to say." She looked terrified, yet excited at the same time.

Inuyasha laughed, causing her eyes to snap up at him, wide in shock. "Well, I hope _you_ know what to do, because I sure as hell don't."

That got her to laugh. It was good to hear her laugh. It also relaxed her, which was good. He could tell she was feeling the weight of responsibility. It was in her shoulders. _That's it!_ Inuyasha moved over to the bed, suddenly confident in his movements. He set the empty glass down on the nightstand. "Come here," he said, motioning her over to him as he sat on the edge of the bed. She immediately obeyed. Standing next to him, she started to undo the buttons of her uniform. "Ah… just wait on that."

Her eyes widened. "I-I'm sorry!" she squeaked, hands dropping to her side as if her button had turned red hot.

"Sit," he said, gesturing to the bed. Her uncertainty was clear as she slowly sank onto the bed. He climbed onto the bed, holding onto his towel as he knelt behind her. She was nervous, but didn't look back. He could see her shoulders tense as he scooted closer to her. Her body jerked as his hands fell on her shoulders. "Wow. You are tense," he said with a laugh as he began working his hands against her shoulders.

"I'm sorry," she said immediately. After a few seconds, she continued. "What are you doing?"

"Giving you a massage."

A few beats of silence. "Why?"

"Because I want to." It took her a few moment, but he could feel her tension slowly fade as his fingers worked against her shoulders, neck, and back.

"I'm supposed to be doing this to you," she said softly. Despite her words, he could tell by her voice she was enjoying it.

Inuyasha smiled to himself. "This is probably the one thing I'm good at." It was true. His mother had told him he had a golden touch. He had built his skill through time and dedicated practice, massaging his mother after a hard night's work. "Can you unbutton the top? It's a bit hard to get a grip with the fabric."

He could see her hands as she worked the buttons on the front. "I can do one better," she said, standing up. His eyes followed her as she slowly pulled off her uniform, revealing her nude body to him. He wasn't sure what he was more surprised about, the fact that she was now standing naked before him, or that she hadn't been wearing anything under it. _I wonder if they're all like that…_

"A-and?" she asked, suddenly bashful. His eyes moved down her body, pausing slightly at a small birthmark under her left breast.

"You're gorgeous," he breathed, stunned that a real-life woman was standing naked before him. He might have seen her smile had his eyes not been busy elsewhere.

"We didn't know what your preference was," she said when she noticed his gaze reach the area between her legs. A neatly trimmed tuff of jet black hair was carefully crafted in an inverted triangle, as if pointing the way. "Master Taisho preferred some hair… Should you desire something else—"

"No, no," he said quickly pulling his eyes away to meet hers. "It's just a lot to take in. I've never seen such a beautiful woman before." She tried to hide her smile, cheeks turning red. Truer words had never left his mouth. The woman _was_ beautiful. "I just realized, I don't know your name."

"Eriko," she said softly.

"Eriko," he repeated, smiling. "I like it." Her smile matched his. He mentally shook himself, remembering the task at hand. "Come," he said, patting the bed in front of him. "Let me finish what I started." She didn't hesitate this time. He worked his hands against her bare skin. It was amazing how smooth it was. He could feel the heat radiating from her as his hands pressed into her back. Eriko was getting into it now that he was able to perform at his best. He held himself back. However much she needed a deep massage, he didn't want her to be sore in the morning.

When he finished, he released her, falling back to sit on his legs. He could feel the sweat forming on his forehead as he sat back and admired his work. Eriko rolled her shoulders, turning her head to glance at him. "That was amazing. Thank you."

"Not a problem," he said with a grin. Massages were the only thing he had confidence in. Besides his mother, he had shared this gift with many women in need over the years. It was the reason why so many of them offered their services to him for free. Payment for services rendered. Until now, he had refused all of them. As much practice as he had, it still did a number to his fingers and hands. He worked them out as he sat there. "I've had a lot of practice."

She turned to face him. His eyes immediately fell to her exposed chest. She smiled, her attitude shifting. He could see the confidence in her movement as the distance, both emotionally and physically, decreased. "Allow me to return the favor," she cooed seductively. "I've had quite a lot of practice as well…" He chose to ignore the implications of her statement.

He allowed her to remove his towel. It wasn't hiding anything with the massive tent in the middle of it. She made no comment as she took a moment to study it. Suddenly self-conscious, he glanced away finding himself embarrassed by her singular focus. Some guys measured themselves for bragging rights – after they added an inch or two. Inuyasha never saw the point. At the moment, his only comparison was from porn and that was undoubtedly biased. Thoughts, concerns, and fears were gone the moment her lips touched the sensitive tip. She seemed to enjoy his reaction, teasing him with her tongue. Groaning, he tilted his head back as she took more and more of him inside her mouth. He could hear the slurping sounds she made as a wet warmth spread over him.

"Holy shit Eriko," he gasped. There was nothing comparable to what he was feeling. He resisted the urge to touch her, not wanting to mess anything up. Instead, he grabbed the cover of the bed and focused on his breathing. His mind was too overwhelmed to comprehend what she was doing. At one moment, there was slow, methodical movement, the other was rapid jerks that sent pleasure roaring through him. Her eyes stared up at him, watching his reactions to her work.

"I'm going to cum," he warned, unsure of what she was going to do next. Porn was always unclear here. He had seen guys shoot on the girls face or breasts. Some girls took it in the mouth and spit it out while others simply swallowed it all. Whatever was going to happen, it was Eriko who would ultimately decide. Throwing his head back, he gasped loudly as he came into her waiting mouth. She never once let go, her lips wrapped tightly around him as she took everything he gave. In the instant of release, Inuyasha had a clear understanding of why so many men paid for this. Nothing he could do came close.

When his orgasm subsided, he opened his eyes to find Eriko smiling up at him. "I think I got the better end of the deal," he breathed, managing a smile. Her smile widened as she pulled back long strands of her black hair that were obscuring her face. He paused as he looked down at his erection. After something like that, he was shocked that he was still hard. "Well, this is new."

Eriko laughed lightly as she got to her feet. "A bit different than what you're used to?"

"Something like that," he said, still admiring his proud member.

"You're playing with different rules now," she said, giving him a gentle push. He fell onto his back, his eyes widening slightly. It was clear what she was planning next. Straddling him, she settled back onto his legs. That insecure woman had returned as she fitfully glanced at him.

"I hope I'm not being too presumptuous in taking the lead."

"Oh no," he said, relaxing back into the bed. "Lead on." She smiled. Looking down, she got down to business. He could feel the tip against her opening when he stopped her. "Should we be using a condom?"

"Condom?"

"Yeah… Protection."

She laughed as she spoke. "Protection from what?"

"Well, pregnancy for one."

This time, she laughed for a good thirty seconds. Calming down, she wiped a tear from her eye. "Master, you don't have to worry about that." He was about to ask why when she took hold of him and positioned him against her entrance. Settling down atop him, she grinned, watching his reaction. "Well Master? Which do you prefer?"

"This," he gasped. "Definitely this." He didn't know how it could get any better than this until she started moving. Slowly at first, increasing her pace until she was going at a fairly rapid pace. It was everything he could do to keep himself from popping off early.

She was moaning too, her face expressing the pleasure she felt. She leaned forward, her breasts swaying above him as her hands rested on either side of his head, holding herself up. He watched her face, his hands running along the sweat-laced skin of her body. _I'm doing this to her,_ he thought proudly as he listened to her moans. _Maybe I have talent in another area as well…_ He knew that women could fake things, but he chose to believe that wasn't the case here.

He stared up, watching her face hovering above his. Her wet lips open slightly as she made her soft noises as she moved atop him. Craning his neck forward, he managed to press his lips against hers. The reaction was immediate. She jerked away, looking down at him in shock, a hand covering her mouth.

"I-I'm sorry!" he gasped, fear coursing through him. _What the fuck did I do? Did I do something wrong?_ She hadn't completely pulled away from him as his cock was still buried deep within her. "Did I do something wrong?"

"N-no," she said as she struggled to regain her composure. "I apologize for my reaction," she said quickly. "I was just… unprepared."

"Unprepared?"

"Master Taisho—" She snapped her mouth shut as quickly as she had jerked away from him. This time, both hands covered her mouth as she stared down at him, wide-eyed.

"What?"

"It is rude to talk about—"

"Just tell me damn it." He regretted his tone as she flinched. He was just tired of people dancing around things here – especially when it came to him.

Eriko's eyes fell away from his. "The previous Master never kissed anyone while making love."

It was curious that she had used the term 'love.' He didn't know if he should read into that, or if she was just using that because it sounded better than some other words. "Really?" She nodded, seemingly lost in thought. It was clear that she was thinking of his father right now. _Man, they really_ did _love him._ It also reminded him that he was currently fucking someone his father had. _Shit,_ everyone _here slept with my father… didn't they?_ He felt a pang of jealousy. Inuyasha also realized his thoughts were of Kagome when that pang hit.

"Is it not allowed?" he asked. There was a light laugh as she pressed the back of her hand against her mouth, hiding the smile behind it. "What's so funny?"

"I'm sorry," she said, getting her laughter under control. "I'm not used to so many questions about things here. I forget that you are new." She let her hand drop. He noticed both her hands were resting against the bare skin of his stomach. "The only things not allowed are what you say are not allowed. Master," she added. There was a pause as she stared down at him. "Would you like me to continue?" she asked hopefully.

"Please do." Inuyasha felt awkward now as she began moving again. He watched as her body rose and fall, particularly her pert breasts. She was breathing hard, looking up towards the ceiling as she rode him. While it felt every bit as fantastic as it had before, there was something off now. Her moans were softer, more reserved. Most importantly, she maintained her straddled position – not giving him the opportunity to kiss her again. He didn't have long to think on it as he felt himself growing close.

"Eriko," he gasped. She seemed to sense he was getting close as she picked up her pace, her eyes meeting his. It had the desired effect. "Eriko," he said again, urgency in his voice. It was clear that she had no intention of stopping or lifting herself off him. He didn't fight her. Thrusting his hips forward, he released himself into her. She moaned softly, closing her eyes as he made a few jerks up against her. It was a powerful orgasm that rocked his body, causing his breath to catch. When he finally did get the wind back in him, he found her smiling down at him.

Her voice was a breathless whisper. "Thank you Master."

Breathing hard, Inuyasha felt different. The blissful glow was still there, but he could feel himself as ready to go as when they first started. Being his first time, he wasn't quite sure he wanted it to end like this either. "I'm not quite finished yet." Her eyes were wide as he grabbed her, rolling her onto her back. With only a moment to readjust himself, he began thrusting against her as he took the lead.

 **oOOOo**

Inuyasha was stunned as he released Eriko, falling back on his butt. His hands propped him up as he leaned back. Her ass was still in the air, cum drooling from her slit. Glancing down, he was relieved to see himself growing soft. _There is definitely something going on here._ Before, he might be lucky for three over the course of a day. Here, he had just gone five rounds with Eriko before he finally felt satisfied. To her credit, she had kept up with him for the most part, but round four and five had just been her weathering the storm. Her body quivered, a remnant of the last orgasm he had given her. That was probably his biggest achievement. He had been worried about his first time with such an experienced partner, but it was clear her orgasms were real – and she had had quite a few of them. _Especially once I started to play with her nipples…_

Crawling off the bed, he shuffled over to the bathroom. A dizzy spell hit him, forcing him to lean heavily on the doorframe. Shaking his head, he waited until it passed before moving into the bathroom. _Wow, I guess I pushed myself a little hard._ Leaning heavily against the sink, he turned on the cold water before splashing his face. Turning off the water, he looked up into the mirror. He was shocked by what he saw. Reaching up, he ran a hand over his hair. It looked like a dye job gone horribly wrong. The base and roots were a familiar black with the tips remaining the platinum white color his hair had inexplicably changed to. Leaning forward, he moved his head from side to side. In places, the white continued all the way to the roots while black strands streaked through his hair like highlights, his hair a mix of the two colors.

"What the fuck," he whispered. Turning, he headed back to the bedroom. He found Eriko still on the bed. Her ass was no longer sticking up in the air, but she was on her side, eyes closed. He could tell by the gentle rise and fall of her chest that she was sleeping. Not wanting to wake her, he mulled over finding someone to ask. He eyed the bed wearily. _Or I could just ask in the morning._ As his eyes grew heavy, he realized his body had made the decision for him. Crawling into bed, he barely had time to get to a pillow before passing out.

 **oOOOo**

Inuyasha snapped awake, his head moving from side to side as he slowly remembered where he was. _I was…_ He reached up and felt the top of his head. He couldn't see his hair, but he remembered what he saw last night. Looking down, he realized he was covered up. _I don't remember getting under the covers._ He looked to his right to find himself alone. _She's gone…_ He wasn't sure what he expected, or what he would do had she been there. Still, he had wanted to thank her one more time. Besides, waking up alone seemed… lonely.

Sliding out of bed, he walked over to the bathroom. He examined himself in the mirror. _Odd… Did I imagine it?_ His hair was pure white again. Digging into it, he examined every square inch of his head, trying to find a hint of black. Giving up, he took a step back from the sink, frowning. "What the hell was that?" He was sure he hadn't imagined it.

"Master?" he heard a voice call out from the main room.

"In here," he called out. Looking down, he realized he was still naked. He rushed into the bath area just as he heard someone step into the room he had just been in.

"Master?" the voice called again.

"Could I get some fresh towels?" he called out, hugging the wall as he eyed the entranceway.

"As you wish, Master." He breathed in relief when he realized no one was going to enter. Looking over, he watched the steam rise off the bath. Slowly, his mind replayed the events of last night, a smile creeping over his face. _That really happened._ He felt a lot of emotions about what happened, but for now, he was just going to enjoy the moment. With a spring in his step, he headed for the bath.

 **oOOOo**

Kagome sat at her desk, eyes moving over the ledger. She gnawed on the end of the pen as she read the numbers. Maintaining the ledger wasn't her responsibility, but she kept up on it anyways, helping out when she could. It wasn't as if she was pining for the head housekeeper position, but she wanted to be flexible to the needs of the manor. _Even though everyone thinks I'm trying to oust Kikyo…_

"Kagome?" She jumped at her name, spinning in place to find Sango approaching. Her friend mentioned nothing about her startled reaction. "I'm surprised you're not over there with the others," she said, thrusting her thumb towards the far end of the room. Everyone was clustered around Eriko who was sharing her experience of the previous night. It was clear by the gaze of the women around her that she had an enthralled audience.

Kagome turned back to her work. "They should be working," she muttered.

"Don't be like that. You sound like Kikyo." Sango grinned as Kagome shot her a glare. "But really… you aren't the slightest bit interested?"

"Does it matter? We'll all get a turn eventually." She could see Sango frown at her answer. To be honest, she _was_ interested. It was why she had buried herself in her work. It helped her forget about all the burning questions she wanted answered. Only after Master Taisho was gone did she realize just how much everything had been taken for granted. Then, the household had operated like a well-oiled machine that required very little maintenance. That had all changed with Master Inuyasha. _It is going to be a long time before we get back to where we need to be._ This was ignoring the little voice nagging in the back of her head, warning that things might not return to how it was. Turning back to her work she sighed heavily, Sango's arms wrapping around her neck as her friend leaned against her. "I need to get this done."

"You work too hard."

"And you don't work enough."

Her friend's voice was against her ear. "Come on… Don't tell me you aren't interested in how big he's grown." Kagome frowned, but said nothing. _She's just trying to get a rise out of you._ A few seconds later, Sango clicked her tongue and pulled away. "You're no fun."

"I don't think it's supposed to be fun. We have an important job—"

"Yes, yes, I know that," Sango said with a roll of her eyes. She fixed Kagome with a half-smile. "But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy it too."

 **oOOOo**

Inuyasha was starving when breakfast arrived. With plates of steaming hot food were placed in front of him, he attacked it. He was noisily chewing his bacon when the door at the far end opened. Looking down the table, his chewing slowed and shoulder sagged. Kikyo was moving purposefully towards him.

"What?" he asked accusingly when she got appropriately close. He didn't bother covering his mouth as he spoke.

"Good morning Master." She cast a studying eye over him. "I just wanted to thank you again for last night." It was amazing how quickly he got used to people calling him Master. While it had bothered him before, he barely noticed it now. It was a matter of picking his battles, and he knew that was one he wouldn't win.

Swallowing the mouthful of food, he chased it down with water. "I didn't do anything that needs thanking. If anything, Eriko—"

"Did her job," Kikyo said, swiftly cutting him off.

"Why are you here?" Kikyo was an enigma. In brief moments, he could see a softer interior. Otherwise, she just came off as a cold bitch. This was the latter, not the former. It didn't help that Inuyasha was naturally cranky at the start of the day. It was compounded by his ravishing hunger.

"Doing _my_ job."

"Which is?"

She gave him a critical look, eyeing his messy plate and used silverware. "Making sure you do yours."

"I thought I didn't _have_ a job – at least not really. I've already done everything you've asked."

"That is true," she said with a slow nod. Reaching to her side, she pulled a small leather notebook from a pouch. "But there is much to do. The winter solstice will be upon us sooner rather than later and we are starting late."

"What does the solstice have to do with anything?" he asked suspiciously.

"For you? Nothing." She looked down at his plates before writing in her notebook. "I am going to have to add etiquette lessons too," she mumbled to herself as her pen worked furiously over the paper.

"Etiquette?"

The book snapped closed. "That's correct. You may be the Master of this house." She turned her nose up at the sight of the dishes and the food arranged atop them. "But there is no excuse for acting like a barbarian."

His eyebrows rose. "Excuse me?"

"Your actions reflect this household. Shoddy manners reflect poorly." Her head was held high. "I will not allow you to tarnish the reputation of this House."

Inuyasha did _not_ like the tone of her voice, nor what she was implying. He began to rise when a new voice chimed in. "Good morning Master." He looked over to find Miroku walking towards them, his hands clasped behind his back. "I hope you had an enjoyable night?" Face burning, Inuyasha merely nodded. Miroku grinned. "That is fantastic to hear." Keeping his grin, he flashed Kikyo a warning glare before turning back to Inuyasha.

Sighing, Inuyasha slumped in his chair. "What's this about work?" Miroku gave Kikyo a quick look, his face smiling while his eyes told a different story.

"Kikyo told you already?"

"She mentioned something about winter solstice and that there is a lot of work to do."

"It may seem that way, but we have plenty of time to ease into things," he said. Even though he was looking at Inuyasha, he felt like it was more directed towards Kikyo than him.

"Well," Kikyo said, putting the leather notebook back into its pouch. "If my services here are not needed…" She gave a bow to Inuyasha. "Master, I will take my leave."

Silently, the two watched as she walked away. Inuyasha had to admit, even pissed she walked with an air of grace he had never seen before. "I apologize for my colleague's behavior. She _does_ mean well. She is under incredible pressure."

Inuyasha looked towards the door she exited thoughtfully. "I've been meaning to ask. Who exactly is in charge here?"

The butler seemed bewildered by the question. "Why, you are sir."

He waved his hand. "No, I mean besides me. The second-in-command if you will."

"That ah… depends sir," Miroku said. "When it comes to affairs of the household, that is Kikyo."

"And you? You seem like a bigshot around here."

Miroku laughed politely. "I appreciate that sir, but I am no one that important. My job first and foremost is ensuring you have everything you need. The tension you see here is unusual for we are in an unusual situation." He sighed. "When your father took over from your grandfather, he had spent his entire life on the island. He understood the role he was taking and was prepared to fulfill it. You are… new… to the island and its ways. Kikyo forgets that sometimes." Inuyasha mulled on that for a moment. "Are you finished with breakfast? If you are, I would like to take you on a tour of the village." He smiled. "With all that has happened the past few days, I have been unable to give you a proper tour."

Inuyasha stood up. "I think I would like that."

 **oOOOo**

Inside the car, Inuyasha watched as Miroku walked around and entered from the other side. The car shook slightly as the driver put it into gear and began driving. "A leisurely pace, if you would Goro." The driver said nothing, but as they circled around the fountain and headed downhill towards the village, the car never got above ten miles an hour. "I know you have many questions. I will do the best to answer what I can."

There was one pressing one. "Last night," he began. Miroku nodded as if he was expecting that. "Am I going to do that _every_ night?" As wonderful as it had turned out to be, the stress of going through that every night would be killer.

"Please understand that we are working against time here. Your father's unexpected passing and our search for you has shifted the timetable dramatically. Under normal conditions, you are expected to ah…" He waved his hand, searching for a proper way to phrase the next part. " _Interact_ with the staff at least three times a day."

Inuyasha's eyes went wide. "Did you just say _three_? _Per day?_ "

"Correct. Of course, this is a minimum number and not a set schedule. You may relax for a day or two, provided you make up for that on a later day." He smiled. "I should also clarify that it is not three times a day, but rather three _individuals_ a day. Master Taisho preferred one at a time, but if you wish for some different combination—"

"Hold up," Inuyasha interrupted, holding up his hand. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around this three people thing."

Miroku smiled. "Of course."

"Why so specific?"

"As I explained earlier, you are the means to collect the energy of this island. The link between this island and the people living here."

"And this is the _only_ way to get that energy?"

Miroku's smile was apologetic. "That we know of. Perhaps there is another way, but this has worked so efficiently that no one has looked into alternate means. Also, no one wishes to risk upsetting the order of things."

Inuyasha slumped down in his seat, running a hand through his hair. "Okay, but why so many a day? It sounds like the solstice days are important, but there aren't many women at the manor. I could easily get to them all with one every other night." He couldn't believe something like that came out of his mouth.

"True enough." He rubbed his chin in thought. "Think of it this way: last night, you made love with Eriko."

Inuyasha's face reddened. It was going to take awhile to get used to how brazenly they talked about sex here. "That's right."

"Now think of Eriko as a container. From what I have heard, you did an excellent job."

"Wait, you heard?"

Miroku ignored him, continuing his explanation. "Your actions have filled that container. However, the container is much bigger than a single transfer will fill. Thus, you must initiate the transfer numerous times in order to fill the container." He gestured to Inuyasha's head. "Judging from what I heard, I'm guessing you noticed the condition with the hair?"

Inuyasha suddenly remembered how his hair had changed back, at least partially. "Oh right. I was meaning to ask about that," he said, idly playing with his hair. "It was turning black again."

"Right. And as you have undoubtedly noticed, it's back to its normal color."

"Black is the normal color."

Miroku grinned. "Of course. As I mentioned before, you are constantly collecting the energy of this island so long as you remain here. Your hair changing color means you are successfully transferring your energy to others. The goal is to have your hair change completely black by the end of the night, meaning you have transferred all your collected energy. Come morning, you should be restored to full after a full night's rest."

 _I guess that makes a little sense._ He was still trying to wrap his head around this energy business. It made sense how they were explaining it. Rather, it was about belief. Despite seeing it for himself, he still felt doubts. _It all seems so… fantastical._ Then there was the issue of what Miroku had heard about last night and from who. _Did Eriko talk? If so, who else did she tell?_ The way everyone seemed so nonchalant about sex concerned him. He could see something like that come up in normal conversations here, and that worried him. Deciding to let it slide, Inuyasha focused on Miroku's explanation. "How many times to fill that container?" It felt disconcerting talking about women like mere things.

"Depends on the container. No two are the same." Miroku smiled. "But past experience has shown it takes an average of twelve interactions."

"I have to sleep with everyone twelve times?!"

"Now you see the problem. There are only around 182 days between the solstices."

"It's halfway through August."

Miroku smiled sadly. "There are one 126 days remaining until the winter solstice." Inuyasha tried to do the math, but math was never a strength. His education in general was spotty at best. His mother did her best to teach him, but with how they lived and how often they moved around, he never had a formal education. He could read at a functional level as well as write. His math was limited to addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division and even then it took him a great deal to work things out. "To reach our goal, you would have to interact with around ten women a day."

Inuyasha paled. "That's impossible. It's also disturbing."

Miroku chuckled. "Yes, I realize that is quite impossible for you at the moment."

 _At the moment?_ "So we aren't going to meet the goal this solstice."

He looked morose. "No, I'm afraid not."

There was a brief silence. "And what does that mean?"

"Provided you fulfill your role and we meet our goal by next summer solstice? The worst-case scenario is a few people age a few years. If we consistently miss this goal, people will eventually start dying."

Inuyasha paled. Silently, he looked out the window. The car was still crawling along. There was nothing outside but the passing trees as Inuyasha decompressed all the new information. He wasn't sure what to feel about the situation. He had to admit, after his first experience with sex, he was anxious to do it again. _But this is just too much._ His thoughts drifted back to home. _Is this what it feels like for Mika? Sex being nothing but a number to reach?_ He wondered how many men she had to service before she reached her quota. Until now, he had never wondered how much she charged.

He was done thinking about that for now. He attempted to change the subject. "I noticed there were a lot of people around to greet me when I arrived. Over the past few days though, I barely run into anyone. I know the manor is big, but it's not _that_ big."

Miroku chuckled. "Yes, well it is rare that the full staff is there. While we have lodging for staff in the manor, most have houses in the village as well. As such, the staff are split into three groups. The manor is staffed by two groups at all times, with the third returning to town. They rotate every week with two on, one off."

"So how many people actually work in the manor?" _And how many women are you asking me to sleep with?_

"All together including myself? Fifty-eight. Thirteen fall into maintenance and miscellaneous category. Myself and the other men on staff fall into this category, though I live in the manor full-time. That leaves the forty-five women, split into groups of fifteen each."

Inuyasha ran a hand through his hair, stunned. "That's… quite a lot."

"It is intimidating, I know. I have every confidence you will fulfill your duty." The smile Miroku had was filled with supportive confidence. Inuyasha wished _he_ was as confident.

 **oOOOo**

 **Finished polishing up this chapter. Hopefully it has less errors than usual. As for the story itself, I hope people are finding it interesting. I always use the first few chapters as pilots to gage interest to see if I should continue or not. Leaving a review helps a lot!**

 **As always, thanks for reading and I hope to see you next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any characters associated with it. This story is rated for a mature audience and may contain language, violence, sex, and/or gore.**

 **oOOOo**

Inuyasha's tour around the town was surprisingly busy. He felt like a politician, or rather, a rock star. _Everyone_ seemed to know he was coming and came outside to greet him. It was a blur of faces and hand shaking. Everyone was giving him their heartfelt thanks. Thanking _him_ for coming to save them. It made him extremely uncomfortable. They looked at him like some sort of god-like figure. Miroku seemed to pick up on his discomfort because he ushered him to the car where they spent the rest of the tour. That didn't stop the masses from coming out to bow and shout their thanks at him, but at least he wasn't being mobbed and touched by throngs of people.

"I apologize," Miroku began. "I assure you it will not be like this all the time. Once things settle down and go back to normal, you will be able to visit with less of a crowd."

From the inside of the car, Miroku showed him the harbor where the fishing boats had already left for the day. The fish market was next to the harbor, awaiting the boat's return. In the center of town was the general market. Here, farmers sold their wares as well as the many artisans of the island. Miroku explained to him a little about the business dealings with mainland companies. Their main export was collectables and artifacts. Apparently, there was a large market for handcrafted items. Their traditionally crafted swords and armor fetched a high price on the mainland market. It helped that the craftsmen here had been honing their skills for decades, if not centuries. They even had a larger boat that acted as a cargo freighter to move goods back and forth. The fishermen would also take their catch to the mainland from time to time and exchange it for trinkets they sold back on the island. All said and done, the island's economy was strong considering how small it was. The tight community also meant there was zero poverty. There were different tiers of wealth on the island, but even the most destitute had a roof over their heads and a full belly every night. As someone who had spent a large portion of those two being questionable commodities, he already felt himself warming up to the island's people. _They take care of their own._ He could respect that.

On their way back to the manor, Inuyasha noticed the road split off to the west. "What's down there?" he asked, watching as the road faded from view.

Miroku looked out the window and nodded slowly. "That leads to another manor."

"Another manor?"

"Yes. That particular one leads to Lord Kouga's manor."

Inuyasha frowned. "'Lord?'"

Miroku nodded. "Like you, they are special to this island in their own way."

"I see," Inuyasha said, trying to decide what to make of this new information. "Wait, 'they?'"

"There are four lords on this island, you being one of them." He smiled. "Don't worry. You are still the master of this island. Each of them contribute in their own way."

"I wasn't really concerned about that…" He actually _was_. _Just a little,_ he told himself. This was the first time he had been considered special and the last thing he wanted to know was how he actually wasn't as special as they made him out to be.

Miroku grew serious. "I would be more than happy to explain more, but I figured with everything before you now…"

Inuyasha nodded in agreement. "I _am_ a bit overwhelmed."

He smiled. "Of course, I will provide you with anything you need to know. In time, it will be like you never left!"

Inuyasha looked out the window. The trees were blocking any view he had. _Like I never left huh?_

 **oOOOo**

Inuyasha had dressed before he left the bathroom. As he expected, Kikyo was there waiting. Beside her were five women. _So this is going to be a regular thing after all…_ He didn't say anything as he walked towards them.

"I hope you enjoyed your bath," Kikyo began with a small bow of her head. "Perhaps the Master would consider allowing a few of us to assist you?"

Inuyasha frowned, knowing exactly what she wanted by 'assist.' "Thanks, but I can clean myself." She was silent, simply bowing her head again. Once more, Inuyasha was presented with the uncomfortable decision regarding who he would sleep with tonight. Knowing that if Kikyo and Miroku had their way, he would have had all five. In the end, he picked the tallest of the five. She was also the one with the largest breasts, but Inuyasha convinced himself he didn't chose her for that. He felt her smile was a little hollow as he gestured towards her.

"Perhaps you would like to choose another?" Kikyo asked hopefully. The remaining four girls looked at him with that same hope.

"Uh… no thanks," he said nervously. He knew Kikyo was disappointed, but she should be happy she was getting one. As the others left, Inuyasha walked over to the dresser near the bathroom. Atop it next to the pitcher of water was a bottle of… something. He was by no means an expert on alcohol. He managed a cheap beer or two from time to time, but that was it. Whatever it was, it was local and it was strong. _Not to mention delicious._ Pouring a healthy amount into one of the square glasses, he downed it in one go, nearly choking as it burned his throat. "Want—" He froze as he turned around to offer the woman a glass. She had wasted no time getting ready. She stood naked at the foot of the bed, her uniform piled at her feet. "Oh…" he whispered softly, eyes running over her. It felt like his stomach was climbing up his chest as his breath caught at the beautiful but unexpected sight.

Her eyes widened slightly, taking his surprise as disappointment. "Oh! Was I not supposed to… I'm sorry!" she said, quickly reaching down to dress again.

"No, no," he said, stepping forward, freezing her movements. "I was just… taken aback."

She slowly straightened back to her full height. It was weird being in a place where women seemed to have no sense of shame or modesty. The woman seemed comfortable standing naked before him, more concerned with his reactions than him ogling her. He poured himself another tiny bit of the booze and downed that too. _For the nerves,_ he told himself as he did his best to collect himself. Facing the woman, he closed the distance between them, her eyes following him expectantly.

Where Eriko had been warm and welcoming, this woman seemed distant. There was no conversation. When he got within arm's length of her, he suddenly realized he really had no idea how to start things going. With Eriko, it had just progressed naturally. Her distance was off-putting. She clearly wanted to be there, but Inuyasha had the feeling she didn't want _him_. There was a few seconds of awkwardness as he stood there, suddenly unable to make eye contact with her. Fortunately for him, she went into action. Closing the small distance between them, she fell to her knees and tenderly worked at him until he got hard. Whatever enjoyment he was receiving from her soft hands and wet lips ended when he was hard enough to move onto the next stage. She made no eye contact as she stood and crawled onto the bed. Once in place, she remained on all fours, glancing over her shoulder at him expectantly. Inuyasha realized quickly what she was silently urging him to do and leapt into action.

Climbing onto the bed after her, he scooted across the blankets until he was against her. Grabbing hold of her shapely hips, he used one hand to guide himself into her opening. Pressing his teeth against his lower lip, he gently worked his way into her. He immediately noticed some difficulty compared to Eriko, but after a few moments of slowly working in and out of her, it grew increasingly easy as he picked up his pace. Despite her cold demeanor, she quickly melted once he was pounding himself against her. Her moans filled the air as he continued noting the differences between her and Eriko. Eriko had been tighter, but this girl seemed to draw him in completely. It gave him the feeling that her body was mocking him – taking everything he had and giving him a cheeky, "that's it?" He could feel the anger build up in him, as illogical as that was. He felt himself going faster, pulling hard on her hips to drive himself just _that_ much deeper. The slapping of skin against skin grew louder and rhythmic as he put everything he could into his thrusts.

She was beside herself. Her moans had turned into wails as he tried to give her body what it demanded of him. Their position shifted as he put more pressure on her upper body, her face pressed against the bed, ass in the air. This afforded Inuyasha more leverage to use against her, including gravity. He grunted and groaned in effort. He could barely hear the wet slapping of their union between the two of them from their loud grunting and moaning. Inuyasha didn't know how close she was to cumming, but he finished before her. Plunging himself deep into her, he yelled out as he erupted inside her. He groaned softly as his cock jerked and pulsed, shooting wave after wave of his seed into her willing body. They remained like this, both gasping for air as he slowly softened inside her. Whatever power had spurred him on the other night with Eriko had abandoned him tonight.

Pulling out of her, he watched as a long tendril of cum followed him out to fall onto the covers. Flopping onto the bed, his lungs clawed for air as he stared up at the ceiling. He hadn't realized how much effort he had put into it as he noticed the sweat beading on his forehead and trickling down towards his temples. Beside him, he was surprised to find the girl crawl off the bed. Speechless, he watched as the woman began to pull her uniform back into place. Like Eriko, she had no panties, just a bra to support her large breasts. Once she was back in her uniform and it was adjusted to not be quite so obvious what had just transpired, she looked at him still resting on the bed. _How does she have the energy to move after that?_ He thought he had done a great job judging by how vocal she was, but the neutral expression on her face told another story. He suddenly found himself wondering how much of it was real.

"Thank you choosing me Master Inuyasha," she said with a bow. "May I return to my duties?"

"Uh… yes," he said, her request catching him by surprise. She gave him a quick smile and moved to the door. Pausing, she looked back at him.

"Master?"

"Yes?"

"Shall I send for another?"

Lifting his head, he looked over at her. She wore that same neutral expression as if she had asked if he would like a cup of tea before bed.

"T-that's okay. I think I'm done for the night."

She bowed her head. "I look forward to next time," she said before backing out of the door, closing it behind her. He had trouble deciding if she really meant it or not.

He dropped back onto the bed, sighing deeply. He couldn't believe the difference between the two nights. Eriko had been so warm, so willing. This girl had been distant. _Yet she seemed completely into it at the time…_ A pit formed in his stomach. _Was she just faking it?_ He heard of women doing that, but could they really be that convincing? The pit grew into a canyon. _Which one was faking and which one was telling the truth?_ He rubbed his jaw, trying to determine which horrible scenario was true. Freezing, he looked up at the ceiling as he realized he didn't even get the woman's name.

 **oOOOo**

"Good morning Master!" a cheerful voice called out. He groaned as the light hit his sensitive eyes as the curtains were opened, allowing the sunlight to pour into the room. Groaning, he turned in bed and covered his face with another pillow.

"Let me sleep," he grumbled through his protective shield.

"I can't do that. Kikyo's orders."

He groaned. "I _order_ you to let me sleep."

"This is for your own good. An early start is key for a productive day."

He groaned again, this time, the pillow was pulled away from him. Covering his eyes with his hand, he opened them despite the light. He recognized the face instantly. "Kagome?"

She smiled. "You remembered my name."

"How could I forget?" he asked, closing his eyes. With great difficulty, he managed to pull himself to the edge of the bed and slide out of the covers to sit on the side. He wiggled his toes into the soft carpeting before forcing himself to stand. He yawned as he stretched, straightening his arms above his head. Feeling more awake then he had a few seconds ago, he opened his eyes fully and glanced over to Kagome. She had frozen in place, her eyes wide as she stared at him. It took him a second to realize she wasn't staring at _him_ , but rather an exposed part of him. He quickly covered himself, snapping her out of the daze she was in. Her face turned red as she hurried about her business. As embarrassing as the situation was, her reaction almost made it worth it.

"Breakfast will be ready soon," she said, her back to him. He could see even her ears were red. "Should I tell the chef you are coming after you get dressed, or would you like to take a bath first?"

Seeing her reaction got him thinking. "That depends. Would you like to join me for a bath?" It was as if someone had smacked her from behind. Her entire body went ridged. He wished he could see her face, but she was still facing away from him. This kind of teasing wasn't like him in the slightest, but her reaction made it all worth it.

"I-If that is what you want," she said, her voice quivering slightly. Shocked, he watched as her hands reached up to begin unbuttoning her uniform.

This time, it was his turn to stumble over words. "I uh… I didn't mean…" She turned to face him, her hands frozen on her third button. "I'm sorry," he said, bowing his head. "I just meant that as a joke. It was wrong of me to put you in that position."

"I don't mind," she said quietly, her face not as red as before. "I just wasn't expecting you to ask." She undid her third button and began working on the fourth.

"Can you tell the chef I'll have my meal first?" She froze.

"Yes?"

"My breakfast? Tell him I'll be down as soon as I change into something."

She looked torn. After several seconds of silence, she nodded. "Very well," she answered, her hands falling away from the buttons. He felt his throat tighten as his eyes ran over the teasing promise of exposed skin. "Is there anything else Master Inuyasha?"

"No, that is all. Thank you."

She bowed and left the room. The moment the door was closed, he felt like he had been holding his breath the entire time. Letting it all out, he sagged back onto the edge of the bed. _I have to be careful what I say around here._

 **oOOOo**

Inuyasha stared down at the silverware. Everything was arranged and straightened to perfection. Confused, he slowly settled into his seat. _This is new,_ he thought as Kikyo approached.

"Good morning Master."

"What's this?" he asked, sweeping his hand over the silverware.

"Today we begin your training." Inuyasha immediately didn't like where this was going.

"Training?"

"Correct. You are head of this household and therefore, must be able to act like it. Now, I understand that you grew up outside the island and have your own customs, but there are expectations here."

He frowned. "I don't mind, but why don't I get some breakfast first—"

"Breakfast will be served _after_ I am satisfied with today's lesson." He slumped down in his chair. He had been planning to skip out as soon as breakfast was done. Clearly, she had seen through his intentions. Clearing her throat, she moved to stand beside him. Her hand swatted his arm. "Don't slouch." His back went rigid as he sat up. "Now listen carefully. I will go over the proper use for your utensils…"

 **oOOOo**

Inuyasha had his elbows on his legs as he sat on the stone bench. His eyes watched the fish lazily wander about the pond.

"I figured I'd find you here." He looked up to find Kagome moving towards him. "I hear you ran out on Kikyo's dinner etiquette lesson."

He groaned, sitting up. "I sat through nearly two hours of the damn thing and she _still_ wouldn't let me get breakfast. Slave driver."

Kagome chuckled softly. "She can be difficult to work with—"

"But she means well," Inuyasha finished. "People keep saying that, but I'm just not seeing it."

"Mind if I join you?" she asked softly, gesturing to the empty spot next to him. He shifted to give her more room to sit. They sat quietly for several minutes, Inuyasha watching the fish and listening to the water bubble from the fountain while she watched him. "You doing okay?"

He glanced over at her. "Well enough, considering so much of my world has been turned upside down these past few days."

She smiled. "Want to talk about it?"

He looked up towards the sky. "It was rough growing up. I stayed in shady places with shady people. Never knew when my new meal would be." Looking over at her, he continued. "Here is the complete opposite of that. I have a giant bed that is the most comfortable thing I have ever had the pleasure of lying on. I have three meals a day…" He rested his hands on his stomach. It was a painful reminder that he never did get his breakfast. "It's amazing how quickly you get used to the good things. I don't think I could ever go back – not after this."

Kagome smiled. Reaching into a leather pouch on her belt, she pulled out something wrapped in a napkin. "Fortunately, you never have to," she said, presenting him with a cinnamon roll. "I heard you didn't eat and figured you'd be hungry."

Inuyasha eyed it, mouth instantly watering. "You are the most wonderful person—," he began, taking it from her. "Thank you," he managed before stuffing a large bite in his mouth. Smiling, she watched as he devoured the roll, licking his fingers clean. "Oh man," he sighed. "That hit the spot."

"Glad you enjoyed it." She leaned back on the bench. "Besides Kikyo's lessons, everything else going okay?"

There _was_ something that bothered him, but he wasn't sure he wanted to talk about it – especially with her. He had heard somewhere that talking could be beneficial to solving problems. "Still trying to get used to the idea of what my job around here entails."

"Don't like it?"

"I never said that!" She smiled. "I just feel like I'm taking advantage. Where I grew up, it was a similar situation I guess. Women sold their bodies to survive. Being here, what you all are asking me to do… it hits a little too close to that." She was silent, listening to his every word. "The past two nights, Kikyo brings in girls and expects me to pick. Then I'm told if I _don't_ pick, people are going to die."

"It must be weird, how we do things here."

"That's an understatement."

She rested her hand on his leg. "Thank you," she started. "For going along with it and working with us. I know that all this is overwhelming for you, but I promise you, it _will_ get better as the island becomes less mysterious to you." He nodded. "But this is a team effort. While this island and the people are mysterious, _you_ are mysterious to us. We want to help you, make you feel more comfortable here, but you aren't exactly making it easy on us."

"It's not easy opening up to someone. Asking for help, having someone do something for you, it's a sign of weakness where I'm from. I know this isn't like where I'm from, but old habits die hard."

Kagome smiled, her hand giving his leg a comforting squeeze. "Is there anything we can do to make your time with us more comfortable? We only know what Master Taisho enjoyed and his preferences."

Inuyasha laughed. "I honestly have no idea. I'm not too sure of what I like and dislike. A few weeks ago, I was more concerned about where my next meal would be – let alone being intimate with someone. Now, I've slept with two different women and will probably be forced to sleep with another one tonight."

"Out of everything happening, I'm surprised that is the part that bothers you so much." She frowned, removing her hand. "You really hate being with us that much?"

His eyes widened. "No! No of course not! How could I—I just think the whole process is incredibly awkward."

"Then take it into your own hands. Don't let Kikyo make the decisions for you. Take charge."

"And how would I do that?"

Kagome smiled. "Simply bring someone to bed before she can put them before you."

 _Oh, is that all?_ He groaned. "That sounds like a horrible idea."

She blinked. "How?"

"What do I do, just go up to one of you and say, 'Please join me in bed tonight?'"

"That would work," she answered, deadpan. "Though I would suggest you be a _little_ more tactful. Master Taisho made it into a game, flirting and seducing us with his charms." She cleared her throat. "But that doesn't mean you have to. Find what works for you."

Inuyasha frowned. "Sounds to me like I'm fighting a losing battle. How can I compete with a man who has left such an impact?"

"You're new," she said softly. "An unknown. You say you are uncomfortable because you don't know any of us, but remember you are a mystery to us as well. What do you want? What desires do you have? What do you want from a woman? We have no idea, and that makes us uncomfortable as well."

Inuyasha looked down at his lap. "I hadn't thought about it like that."

Kagome smiled. "Give it time. I know you will be every bit the wonderful man Master Taisho was."

The silence grew as Inuyasha considered her words. "Thank you Kagome," he finally said. "Talking with you has a way of making me feel better."

Her cheeks reddened slightly. "I'm glad you feel that way. All of us are here to help you in any way we can." She stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do." Inuyasha nodded, watching as she left. _I have some things to think about…_

 **oOOOo**

"And?" Kikyo demanded. Kagome gave the woman a glare. She had barely stepped into the study and she was already being interrogated. Instead of acknowledging her, she looked to Miroku who looked more exhausted than normal. She suppressed a grin, knowing exactly what was preventing the man from getting a full night's sleep. _At least one of us is taking advantage of this otherwise terrible situation._

"He's getting there, but you really need to lay off."

Anger flashed in the older woman's eyes. "Am I the only one here who sees how limited our window is?"

"Kikyo, everyone here knows _exactly_ what is going on."

"When Master Taisho died we distributed what energy we had acquired, but that wasn't nearly enough. People are aging."

"I _know_ that!" Miroku said, slamming his hand against the top of the table. That surprised both of them. Even Kikyo, who was usually the aggressive one, took a step back at Miroku's uncharacteristic display of anger. "But this is not something we are going to solve by pressing Inuyasha." Miroku looked over at her. "We are fortunate that Inuyasha seems to have taken a liking to you."

Kagome felt herself blush slightly. "I wouldn't say that."

He shrugged. "It's better than anyone else on the island." He sighed. "But that said…"

She felt herself nodding, understanding where he was going. "The numbers aren't adding up."

Nodding, he leaned forward against the desk. "One a day isn't going to work." He looked up at Kikyo. "We need to start drawing up a list."

"You can't be serious." Kikyo looked horrified. "I can't – I _won't_ make that list."

"That's your _job_. Until Inuyasha decides to elect someone else, you have the role as housekeeper." For once, Kagome felt relieved she wasn't in Kikyo's position. Most of the women here coveted the housekeeper role and the prestige that came with it, but few understood the responsibilities that came with the mantel. _Sure, it's great when everything was going well, but what job isn't?_ Now it fell to Kikyo to determine who was going to get what little energy they had and who was going to do without. The villagers weren't going to be happy when time started to count again.

Her attention was brought back to reality when she noticed Miroku's attention on her. "We really need him at three a day at a minimum. If anything, it's so we can stay on track for the summer solstice. Any chance you could talk to him about that?"

"Why me?" she found herself asking. It wasn't that she was averse to talking with Inuyasha. Rather, she enjoyed it and was happy that Inuyasha seemed to think the same. What surprised her was how people seemed to be encouraging her to do it. Due to the nature of the Master's work, time was limited and it was discouraged to spend too much time with him. There would always be favorites, but for everyone's sake, it was best to limit unfair attention as much as possible.

He grinned. "You know why. He's had the most interaction with you. If anyone has a chance of getting him to cooperate, it's you."

"I'm not going to manipulate him, if that's what you're asking for." As much as she wanted to help the people on the island, she wasn't going to twist Inuyasha to get their way. From what it sounded like, his life on the mainland had been rough. In time, he would undoubtedly come to embrace what they had here on the island. _We just need to find that time._

"Of course not. Just… talk to him, okay? You're our best bet at this point."

Kagome nodded, taking a moment to look over at Kikyo. She still had that shaken look on her face as she stared down at the desk. A wave of sadness washed over Kagome as she looked at the haunted look in her eyes. Once more, Kagome was reminded how lucky her position was.

 **oOOOo**

Inuyasha was lost. He had decided to take some time to familiarize himself with the layout of the mansion, but somewhere between checking out the numerous rooms he had gotten himself turned around. Despite the numerous staff roaming the halls going about their business, he was too embarrassed to ask where the hell he was.

"Master Inuyasha?" He turned to see a familiar face – at least, he was pretty sure he had seen her before. _I really need to start learning names._ "Can I help you find something?" she asked, tilting her head slightly as she beamed a wide smile at him.

"I… err…"

She took a few steps closer. "I got lost too when I first started here." Her voice was low. Even though they were the only one in the hall, he was still relieved she hadn't announced his lack of direction to the world. "Kikyo would always be furious because I took twice as long to do things."

He grinned. He believed it. "Which way to the kitchen?"

"I can take you there," she offered.

"Would you? That would be fantastic." He paused. "Don't you have something else to do though? I'd hate to get you in trouble."

The woman laughed. "Taking care of you is first and foremost." Satisfied she wouldn't get in trouble because of him, he followed after her. "Sango," she said suddenly after a few steps in silence.

"What?"

"My name. It's Sango." He nodded, relieved. He hated how he kept asking people their names. "I know how difficult it can be to put names to faces."

"I remember meeting you the first day I came here." That was clearly the right thing to say, because her face lit up.

"You remember?"

"Of course. It was a big day." She seemed pleased, which made him feel better. Everyone here did so much for him. Being able to return that, however small, helped alleviate the guilt he felt. They walked a bit farther in silence. He kept glancing over at her as they walked. She seemed blissfully happy being near him. "If you don't mind," he started, trying to best think of how to phrase the question. She looked over at him, tilting her head once again.

"Hmm?"

"How old are you?"

She grinned. "I turned 106 at the beginning of the year."

It took him a bit to do the mental math. "So you were born… 1911?"

"That's right! I look great for my age, don't I?" she asked with a laugh as she struck a brief pose.

He ran his eyes down her body while she was looking forward. _You certainly do._ He remembered what Kagome had told him earlier. His heart picked up the pace as they walked. _Would it really be as easy as just asking?_ He stopped, Sango moving a few steps farther away before noticing. She turned, eyeing him in confusion.

"Just need to go downstairs and—"

He glanced around their surroundings. _If I remember correctly…_ He tried to visualize where they were and where he wanted to go. "Mind if we take a slight detour first?"

She smiled, uncertainty on her face as she tilted her head slightly again. Inuyasha grinned, and gestured for her to follow.

 **oOOOo**

Below him, Sango panted heavily as he thrust himself into her with everything he had. His arms pinned her legs against his sides as he kept her close. She was doing the same, her legs locked around him as if she were afraid he would try and escape. _I can't believe it worked!_ Sango had been hesitant at first, unsure where he had been taking her. She figured it out far before they reached his bedroom, her expression growing more excited the closer they got. Once inside, he didn't even have to ask her permission, her clothes dropping to the floor even before he got the door closed. It was a bit unnerving how they immediately seemed to drop their clothing – and impressive how fast they managed to do it.

Yet even though Inuyasha had gotten exactly what he wanted, something still felt wrong. He was enjoying himself, and Sango seemed to be enjoying it as well, but the nagging feeling in the back of his thoughts wasn't going away. His hands trailed along the smooth skin of her sides. Reaching up, he cupped her breasts. She grinned wolfishly, her own hands pressed against the back of his. Guiding them, his hands covered her breasts. Tightening his grip on them, she rotated his hands in circles, moaning softly as he felt her hard nipples between his fingers. She gasped, wincing as he grabbed a little too tightly.

"Sorry," he said, slowing his pace. Her brown eyes stared up at him as he eventually stopped, his cock still buried inside her. Despite how great he felt, he could feel himself losing his erection. She noticed this too, her legs dropping from his back as her hands released his.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, worry clouding her features. Inuyasha stared down at her. Her head was resting on a pool of her long brown hair, big, wet, brown eyes moving quickly between his. Even as stunning as she was, that feeling of wrong was growing. Pulling out of her, he backed away. She immediately pushed herself up on her elbows, worry turning to fear. "What did I do?"

"Nothing. You are… fantastic," he said, knowing the word was lacking compared to how he felt.

"Then… why?"

He shook his head. "I don't really know." He looked down at himself, her eyes following his. A once mighty erection now hung limp. He shook his head, not believing how quickly things had spiraled down. "Pathetic, isn't it?"

Sango was there by his side, her hand on his shoulder. "What's the problem?"

Shaking his head, he found himself at a lost. "I honestly don't know. I thought I could do this…"

"Tell me what you want. Whatever you want me to do, I'll do." Blinking, he looked up and met her eyes.

"What about you?"

She tilted her head in confusion. "Me?"

"Yes. What do _you_ want?" He could tell his question had thrown her off balance as she struggled to answer his question.

"It's not about me," she finally answered, looking uncomfortable.

"Well I'm making it about you."

Her lips were pressed tightly together as she gave him a hard stare. "That's not how this is supposed to work."

"Humor me."

She sighed, and shifted her weight to a more comfortable position. "Okay then," she whispered, more to herself than to him. "Let's see…" Her expression grew more serious as she thought. Her face slowly reddened as she gently brushed a few strands of hair from her face. "Do you think… you could give me a massage?" Her request surprised him. It must have shown on his face because she quickly started to explain. "Well, Eriko was _gushing_ about how great it was, and I—well, _we_ actually—are all interested if it really was as great as she said it was." It was cute how embarrassing she made it seem. Moments ago, they had been having sex yet she was acting as if the massage was the greater embarrassment.

He let out a breath. "Is that all?"

She looked away. "Sorry if that's too—"

"Sango," he said firmly, cutting her off. "Don't be afraid to voice what you want. This isn't all about me." He was convinced she was going to come back and answer that it _was_ all about him, but his look suggested she keep that to herself. Getting the hint, she simply nodded in understanding.

Patting the edge of the bed, he moved aside as she let her legs dangle from the bed. Moving behind her, he loosened up his fingers and began to work at her shoulders. "Oh wow," she groaned. "Eriko wasn't kidding."

He laughed. "I haven't even started yet."

"No, this is amazing," she continued, closing her eyes as she relaxed into his hands. Smiling, Inuyasha continued his work moving from the shoulders to her upper back. Like with Eriko, he didn't work too deep. Eventually, he had Sango laying face-first on the bed as he worked at her back. The entire time, she had a smile on her face, moaning softly as he worked out the knots in her back.

"You and Eriko both. I'm beginning to wonder if you are all wound up like this."

"Probably," she cooed, eyes still closed. "The last several months have been stressful, but it's all going to be okay now."

"Maybe I should open a massage parlor," Inuyasha wondered aloud.

"With hands like yours, you would be quite popular." His work was interrupted when she suddenly rolled over. He sat back, shaking out his hands as he eyed her curiously. She was smiling up at him.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"No problem."

She shook her head. "No, not for that." He frowned. "For caring." He wasn't quite sure how to respond, so he remained silent. Reaching out, she grabbed his hands and pulled him towards her. Her expression had changed as she stared up at him. He knew the massage was over and that she wanted to continue where they had left off. Surprisingly, he found he was already raring to go. The massage wasn't supposed to be sexual, but having free reign over her body had excited him more than he realized. Once more, her legs parted as he approached, a smile touching her lips. "Master Inuyasha?" she started as he pressed against her wet entrance. He looked up, her cheeks brushed with red. "Maybe… we could make love a bit more gently this time?" He grinned and nodded.

Inuyasha slowly drove his hips forward, enjoying the little reactions in her face as he entered her. She was no longer locking her legs around him, but he could feel the pressure of her legs against his sides as he leaned forward. The problem before was obvious. Judging her reactions now to what they had been, it was clear she hadn't been enjoying herself as much as she was now. He must have subconsciously picked up on it, because now it was night and day. Leaning forward, he put his weight on his arms, his hips automatically driving forward and back. Both of them were breathing hard from the effort, her hands brushing his face as she smiled up at him, lips slightly parted. Inuyasha found himself enjoying the moment more as it continued. Unlike the other times, this had an intimate feel to it. While Eriko and the other woman had certainly been amazing, this spoke to him on a different level. Being with Sango like this made him feel connected to someone on a level he never knew existed. His eyes focused on her parted lips, watching them as she softly moaned below him. His body moved on automatic, leaning forward as he pressed his lips against hers. The reaction was immediate as he felt her body tense under his. He could also tell by the lack of return that he had done something wrong. Freezing his movements, he pulled away. Sango immediately looked away, her face flushing a deep red as he struggled to comprehend what he did. _Eriko had a similar reaction…_

"I let the moment get to me," he apologized, starting to pull away. Her response was faster than he expected, her legs wrapping around him, keeping him against her.

"Don't," she said quickly. "I just— It was unexpected." He could tell that there was something more to it, but didn't press. "Please," she begged, making eye contact again. "Continue." As if to prove everything was fine, she pulled him down into a kiss. Even with his lack of experience, he could tell how forced it was. She broke it quickly, staring up at him, eyes begging him to continue. Running through his options, he found himself nodding. As he began moving again, he found that comforting warmth was gone. Whatever had been there before had been killed by a kiss. Even her reactions were cold and distant, despite her clearly trying to be the opposite. Inuyasha noticed she was having trouble keeping eye contact with him, even with him keeping his distance. Even with the awkward atmosphere between them, he still felt incredibly good. The pacing made it longer, but when he finally grew close, he could tell it was going to be a big one. Burying himself deep inside her, he gasped as he pumped his seed into her. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the moment, not wanting to see her reaction.

The pleasure was fleeting however. And as it left, he found reality sitting there waiting for his return. Backing away, he pulled his softening member from her, avoiding her gaze. He halfway expected her to get up and leave like the girl from the other night. Taking a deep breath, he turned away, sitting on the edge of the bed. He didn't dare turn or look behind him as he felt Sango move on the bed. He was surprised when a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind. Her chin rested on his shoulder as her breasts pressed into his bare back. His face heated as her breath tickled his ear in a whisper. "Thank you." Not knowing how to respond, he simply nodded. Her arms tightened around him. Once more, that comforting feeling had returned. A smile forming, he reached up and patted the back of her hand. Closing his eyes, he fought back tears he didn't even know he had. It had been so long since he had felt like this, he had forgotten the emotion even existed. It was fortunate Sango was behind him, because he hated the thought of her seeing him like this. For the first time in a long time, he didn't feel lonely.

 **oOOOo**

Inuyasha was still a mystery, but Kagome had taken pride in how she still managed to find him when she was looking for him. It was different this time. He wasn't in his normal spots, which left her feeling flustered. It made her realize just how little she knew about him. _From a time where I knew everything about him._ Her searching gave her time to reflect on more innocent times. Others on the island often forgot all but the strongest memories of the past. Fifty or sixty years was nothing, but once you rounded a century, remembering things that happened in your childhood became increasingly difficult. Not for Kagome. She could clearly remember everything as if it had happened months ago. It made it jarring how the sweet innocent child in her memory was now an older and hardened individual. It caused an ache in her heart knowing that he had gone through ordeals in his life she could never relate to. His time on the mainland had scarred him, and she had no idea how to help him heal. _I don't even know if he_ wants _healed—or even if he's realized he's been hurt at all._

A tiny voice in the back of her mind had suggested she check the master bedroom. Being late in the afternoon, he might have decided to take a nap. Opening the door, she found herself smiling at the sight of a lump in the bed. Relief flooded through her as she quietly slid inside, not wanting to disturb him, but needing to check on him. As she approached the side of the bed, she was pleasantly surprised to find he wasn't alone. Beside him slept Sango, drool running from the corner of her mouth as she snuggled against Inuyasha's back, arm draped over his side. Kagome didn't know how long the two had been here, but from the faint odor of sex she now detected, it had been awhile. Backing away, she slid silently outside, closing the door behind her. Joy pulsed through her as she breathed out in relief. _Inuyasha picked someone on his own!_ Not to mention it was still daylight. While it was a far cry from being where they needed him, it was a solid step in the right direction. Despite her delight in the situation, her mind shifted gears as the professional side of her kicked into action. With Sango here, it meant that whatever she had been tasked with had gone unfinished. Turning, she quickly walked from the door, mind making a list of tasks she had to do. She needed to find out what Sango was assigned and find someone to cover for her. She also needed to tell Kikyo about the coupling so she could make a record in the ledger. While Sango would certainly do it when she awoke, Kagome wanted to give her the news personally. _I need to spin it to get her to back off. We are making progress. The last thing we need is to press too hard._ With her mind set up, she marched off with purpose in her steps.

 **oOOOo**

Inuyasha was surprised to find Sango still there when he awoke. Her arm was draped over him, as if holding him in place. He grinned as he shifted to face her. She was clearly a deep sleeper, since his movements didn't stir her. It was great, because he was treated by her sleeping features – and also a considerable amount of drool from her open mouth. He resisted the urge to kiss her. There was clearly something about the action he didn't understand, and frustrating as it was, everyone seemed to enjoy talking circles around things here. Instead, he enjoyed the moment, watching her peaceful face as she slept. He knew that all Sango had done was show some basic level empathy, but for someone who hadn't had that, it made an impression. Whether she had wanted to or not, she made an impact on him. He felt connected to someone again, and while Eriko and the other woman had been polite, Sango was the first person to remind him what it felt like to feel human again. Old emotions he had locked away were now running rampant through him. His mind was now a garbled mess as he struggled to process things he hadn't felt in years.

Though he would have liked to stare at Sango until she awoke, nature called to him. Carefully, he slid out from under her arm and scooted to the side of the massive bed. He glanced over his shoulder as she groaned softly, shifting position away from him. Smiling, he got up and headed to the bathroom. After taking care of his needs, he washed his hands and looked at himself in the mirror. A different person looked back at him. The sunken, lifeless eyes were gone. There was a spark of life there now, and he barely recognized himself for having it. He also looked physically healthier now that he was getting proper meals. His slouched, defeated posture was gone as he carried himself with more confidence. He grinned at himself, enjoying the reflection. It faltered when he caught strands of black in his hair. Frowning, he leaned in close. Sure enough, there were streaks of black hair, buried in the sea of white. It worried him. The people here had made it clear that this wasn't an ordinary island, so it wasn't too surprising that something odd like this sprang up. What worried him was how little he _knew_ about things here. What seemed odd to him was second nature to people living here. It bothered him not knowing what _should_ worry him.

He pulled his hand away from his hair, tossing it behind his shoulder. _Well, no one else seems concerned by it and Miroku said it was supposed to happen._ His frown deepened as he looked over his appearance. _Damn hair also seems to be growing faster._ While he had always had long hair, he usually kept it shoulder length. It was clear now that if he wanted to keep it that length, he was going to have to have it cut. Turning, he walked towards the bathroom exit. _Ah well. I can figure it out later._

 **oOOOo**

It had been eleven days since Inuyasha first came to the island, eight since he officially became the islands master. Kagome had done her best to keep her distance for most of them. Yes, there were times she was assigned to his dinner or cleaning his room, but she kept contact to a minimum. Even though Miroku and Kikyo had asked her to help push him in the right direction, she felt the best way to start that was let him get comfortable on his own. Kikyo was especially furious by her lack of action, threatening to replace her with Sango, who Inuyasha seemed to be growing more comfortable around. Fortunately, Miroku was more level headed and was willing to wait it out – though even he was beginning to show signs of annoyance with the lack of progress. Kagome couldn't blame them. She knew what was at stake, but she also had a feeling pushing Inuyasha would result in the opposite of what they were hoping for. Still, she couldn't stand hands-off forever.

For what it was worth, Inuyasha was performing his duty even if it was only at a rate of one a night. Kikyo still tried to press him to at least double up, but Inuyasha was adamant in his refusal. While morale was nowhere as low as it had been after Master Taisho's death, it had taken a dip after Inuyasha had taken the mantle. Kagome could hear the whispers in the hall and in the duty room. The women were wondering why the Master acted like they were a burden. Worse, there was a real fear that the reason for his disinterest was because he didn't find them attractive enough. That he sometimes had performance issues with the few he had been with seemed to lend credence to the rumor. Kikyo squashed the rumor whenever someone was foolish enough to whisper it in her presence, but it spread regardless. Kagome didn't believe it herself, but it still was a nagging fear that hovered over them all. Even though they had regular contact with the mainland, it still had an air of mystery about it. They were struggling to determine what was considered attractive back on the mainland, and how they could adapt that here. Hearing about a place was nothing like actually living there, and Inuyasha had spent nearly his entire life there.

As for Inuyasha himself, Kagome found herself having a hard time reading him. While he was certainly personable when you got him talking, he mostly kept to himself. After discovering his father's study, he was spending most of his day there. If he wasn't in the study, he was in the garden or exploring the wooded grounds. Kagome knew if she was going to make any progress, she needed to start there. _Once he starts opening up to people and getting to know us, things will start falling into place._ Still, there was a lot of work ahead of her. _At least he's inviting people on his own now._ She was happy he had heeded her advice, even though he was obviously uncomfortable doing it. His current method was little more than simply asking someone in the hall to join him in bed. While no one would turn him down, it was far different than the playful flirtations of the previous master. Fortunately, the women kept any complaints to themselves.

Pressing a hand against her chest, she fought back the emotions and memories that flooded into her mind. She noticed it tended to happen when she was alone and let her thoughts wander. Instead, she forced her thoughts on the task before her. _Inuyasha is the Master now, and I have a job to do._ Taking a deep breath, she headed towards the kitchen.

 **oOOOo**

Inuyasha knew he was a coward. His father had built an impressive library of books in his study. Inuyasha wanted nothing more than to sample the tomes that filled bookcase after bookcase. He knew that he had missed a great deal of education growing up, but it was depressing to gain a context of how much he was missing. The words were easy enough, but the context and content were beyond him. Since no one here seemed willing to talk about his late father, he had come here hoping to find some answers on just what type of man he was – and why his mother was so determined to hide from him. He had heard from somewhere that you could learn much about a person by the books they read. If that was the case, then his father was clearly a man of culture. Most of the books were on science and philosophy, though a small section tucked in the corner by the fireplace differed from the rest. Rather than old and dusty tomes, it was filled with modern print. At first, he had thought they were there for the others in the house. After some quiet questioning, he was able to find out that all books in the study belonged to his father, which was a bit confusing since the books were romance novels. He was having trouble connecting the image of his father as the philosopher scientist, and the man who enjoyed romance novels. It wasn't just any romance novels either, but the trashy, cliché ones.

Yet even with all these books, Inuyasha came in here to hide. He couldn't complain about how he was being treated, but it still bothered him walking about the manor. If it wasn't Kikyo constantly hunting him down for etiquette lessons or trying to force another woman or three on him, it was the staff themselves. Every time he made eye contact, he could see the hope in their eyes. The hope that he would ask them back to his room. It wouldn't have been so bad if not for the flash of disappointment when they realized it wasn't going to happen.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He was about to tell them to answer when he realized he was just standing there. Looking around, he found a book that hadn't been put away properly (evidence that people rarely entered here) and grabbed it. He threw himself in the large leather chair while simultaneously opening the book to a random page. "Enter," he said in his most regal voice. He could hear the door open behind him as he thumbed to the next page.

"Sorry for disturbing you." He immediately perked up at the voice. Closing the book, he sat up straight and turned to find Kagome smiling at the door.

"Kagome!" He quickly cleared his voice, trying to kill the excitement in his voice before continuing. "I wasn't expecting you," he said, more deadpanned than he had expected. Instead of sounding normal, it sounded as if he were a conceited jackass.

She glanced down at the book he was holding before meeting his eye. "I know you are in the middle of reading, but I was wondering if you would like to join me for lunch." It was then that Inuyasha realized she wasn't dressed in her maid uniform. Instead, she was wearing normal jeans and a snug green tank top with spaghetti straps. He was taken about by how she looked so… normal. He had grown used to seeing them in their uniforms that it had become the new normal. Only seeing her in regular clothes did the reality of the situation come back to him.

Under normal conditions, he would have asked her to just bring him a small snack. He was growing to hate how there was a huge dinner table and he was the only one sitting at it. It also bothered him that they just stood around, watching him eat. There was something different about her question though. _She's not asking if I want lunch._ "Join you?"

She smiled, her eyes flicked down to the book in his lap. "Of course, I can understand if you say no. Nietzsche is tough competition." Inuyasha looked down at the book he had grabbed. It was titled, _Beyond Good and Evil_. He met her eyes.

"I think I could pull myself away for a bit," he said as he set the book down on the table next to the chair. Standing, he crossed the room and followed Kagome as she backed out of the room. She seemed to have a knowing smile on her face as her eyes followed him.

"Enjoying yourself?" she asked as she led the way. "I've noticed you've been spending a lot of time in the study."

He nervously scratched his cheek, trying to frame his lie. "It's filled with some… interesting… material."

Beside him, Kagome chuckled. Looking over at him, there was an amused glint in her eyes. "You _do_ know your father never actually read any of them, right?"

"I… what?"

She shook her head. "Oh sure, he wanted people to _think_ he did. Notice how one bookcase is different than the others?" She waited for him to nod. "Well, those were the books your father enjoyed."

"What, those trashy romance novels?"

She frowned. "They aren't 'trashy!' Master Taisho loved them." Inuyasha found the image of his philosopher scientist father crumbling under the new information.

"Doesn't seem like a whole lot of books for a man who supposedly loved to read."

"Most of his books are in the library back in town," she began, a defensive edge in her voice. "Besides, the vast majority are on his Kindle."

"Kindle?"

"Yeah. It's an electronic reader." She seemed surprised. "Haven't you heard of them?"

"Err. I have. I just wasn't…"

She frowned. "Expecting us to have one? Inuyasha, just because we were born a long time ago doesn't mean we shun technology. Rather, you'll find that a lot of people in town are early adopters."

"Sorry. I just forget." He looked around. "Living here surrounded by all these artifacts, and your old outfits, it's easy to forget that you are powering all this with modern equipment."

Kagome looked down at her clothing. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"Oh, not that," he said quickly. "You look great in that. I just mean your normal outfit."

"What's wrong with our uniforms?"

Inuyasha knew he had arrived at a foot-in-mouth moment. "Nothing!" She narrowed her eyes at him. "I mean… It's a bit dated – but in a good way! It fits with the atmosphere of the house."

"You _do_ know you could update it to whatever you want. Just tell Miroku and he'll make the necessary arrangements."

"Not going to lie, even if I wanted to change it, I haven't the slightest idea what to change it to." He looked around. "Besides, I don't think it would be appropriate for me to make such sweeping changes – at least not now."

"Master Inuyasha—"

"I know, I know. I'm the 'Master' now and can do whatever I want." He shook his head. "I also know what it's like to have a new boss come in and just fuck with everything. It sucks." Inuyasha looked over at her. "Besides, I know I'm not living up to expectations. There is a lot to get used to." He felt his heart quicken as she reached over to rest a hand on his arm.

"You're doing great," she said with a smile.

He felt a pang of guilt as he met her eyes, though he wasn't quite sure why. Scratching his cheek absently, he broke eye contact. "So, what were you planning for lunch?" he said, changing topic. He found himself excited. Not only was he hungry, but this was the first time he was actually going to eat with someone else. _And with a beautiful woman to boot!_

She grinned. "Shall we go find out?"

 **oOOOo**

Inuyasha was thankful when Kagome finally pulled her horse to a stop. Any enjoyment he might have had from riding a horse for the first time faded the moment they left the stables. He was thankful Kagome was kind enough to keep the pace down, but riding the horse had terrified him. Not to mention his butt was sore from where he was bouncing against the saddle. As he rubbed his sore butt and stretched his legs, Kagome unpacked their lunch. In a few minutes, she had a blanket down on the lush grass and was diligently unpacking their food as the horses wandered nearby.

"Come, sit," she said, smiling up at him as she patted the blanket next to her.

"You know, I think I realized why the car succeeded the horse." She frowned, glancing over at the horse that had brought him here.

"Horses are amazing, Lily especially." She looked back over at Inuyasha. "She comes from a long line of proud horses that have served this island well."

"Yeah, but rider comfort seems pretty low," he said eyeing the horse with mistrust. The entire experience with the beast so far had left him wary.

Rolling her eyes, Kagome finished unpacking the food. "Hush—else I tell Kikyo you've been slacking on your lessons." Inuyasha visibly paled at that and quickly took a seat next to Kagome. "Now then," she said, handing him a sandwich. "Try it." Under her expectant watch, Inuyasha took a bite of the sandwich. "Well?" she asked hopefully.

He chewed at the sandwich thoughtfully. At first, he thought it was a simple peanut butter sandwich, only there was another hint of sweetness there. "This is pretty good."

She smiled victoriously. "It's peanut butter and honey. We import the peanut butter, but the honey is homegrown." Her smile widened. "And the bread is baked here, of course."

He took another bite after finishing with the first. So far, the food was turning out to be the best part of the island. Even the things he had back on the mainland tasted better here. _The difference between processed food and homemade food._ It was remarkable how something as simple as a sandwich could be so inviting. As he ate, Kagome pulled out her own sandwich and began eating. Inuyasha looked around the area they had stopped at. It was a small clearing in the forest, the canopy thin enough for warming light to reach them without too much interference. He had to admit, the place had a peaceful quality to it as he listened to the birds sing and the breeze rustle the leaves far above. The island seemed to have a well-balanced ecosystem with relatively few predators. There certainly weren't anything that were an immediate threat to humans – at least, he was _relatively_ certain. Kagome didn't seem on guard against anything out in the woods, so he figured it was safe enough. Having spent his life in one city or another, having the chance to be among nature was great – especially since it didn't smell.

He was busy admiring the scenery when Kagome spoke. "What did you do on the mainland for fun?" Turning his attention to her, Inuyasha found her staring at him as she casually took another bite of her sandwich.

"Fun? I didn't have much time for that," he said with a humorless chuckle. "I worked as much as I possibly could. One of the joys of being an illegal citizen is that you can't complain to anyone when your employer doesn't pay you what they are supposed to. Not to mention it's usually the shady ones who are going to hire you anyways."

Kagome looked surprised. "Why would they do that?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Because they could? The general population where I lived were assholes. Not that I really can blame them. The place sucked." He looked around at the trees surrounding them. "It's much better here."

Kagome was smiling. "I'm glad to hear that. I notice you liked walking through the garden, so I figured you would like it out here."

He nodded. "Sure, but I could do without the horse." He chewed another piece of his sandwich before continuing. "But when I did have free time, I watched TV – or rather – fell asleep to it. I only had broadcast, so I couldn't get much."

"What about movies?"

"Ha! Like I had the money for that."

"Well I know where to take you next," she said with a grin.

Inuyasha was surprised to hear there was a movie theater here. "You have a movie theater?"

"Why wouldn't we? Miroku makes sure we get the big titles too. For the smaller ones, we have a voting system. Our island may make good money, but our funds are unlimited." She shrugged. "You can go see them as much as you want for free – so long as you're not an asshole about it. We only have a single screen and seating is limited, so it's polite to let people who haven't seen it yet have your seat if it's full." His expression must have betrayed his excitement, because a grin formed on her face. "I take it you're interested?"

"Hell yeah I am! I've only been to a few movies back when I was a kid. Mom took me for my birthday when we could afford it." At the mention of his mother, Kagome's expression faltered slightly. _I've had years to get over her death. Kagome's just finding out about this, so it's all still fresh._ It was weird to think about how even though Kagome looked younger than he was, she had known his mother for more years than he had. "You want to know, don't you?"

She gave him a weary smile. "Sorry, was I that obvious?"

"It's not… It's not a very pleasant story."

"I figured. I still want to know."

He sighed, nodding as he quickly finished off the last few bites of his sandwich. She handed him a canteen filled with water and he quickly took a healthy drink before starting. "Well, if you want to know how she died, I don't know. Honest. We couldn't exactly afford doctors, and because we didn't have Individual Numbers it was difficult to get treatment. When it got bad enough that she had to be hospitalized, the doctors had no idea what was killing her. None of the tests they ran turned up anything conclusive. She seemed to know, but she never told me."

Kagome nodded sadly. "It's what happens to those who leave the island – at least those who have taken the island's energy into themselves. So long as we are here, we don't age. Once you leave the island though, the aging resumes – but at an accelerated pace."

Inuyasha frowned. "She didn't look old."

"And she wouldn't. In fact, I'm guessing she probably looked in her late twenties."

He tried thinking back to the mental image of his mother. It was difficult since so much had happened since she passed. "Now that you mention it, I don't think she really aged at all."

"Yeah, it's odd how even outside the island we remain ageless. Yet everyone who leaves dies a few decades after leaving without fail."

"How do you know all this?"

Kagome shrugged. "Over the centuries, people have left and kept in touch with family back here. They would send letters every few months. After a few decades, the letters would stop coming. At first, we just thought they were moving on, but it was too regular to be a coincidence."

Inuyasha scratched his cheek. "But don't the fishermen leave the island? Why don't they have issues?"

"They aren't away long enough. Even those that go to the mainland to trade are only gone for a day or two at most." She shrugged. "After all this time, we still don't know everything. Some things you don't need to know exactly how they work, just that they do."

He met her eyes. "Like how sex is the only way to transfer the island energy?"

"Yes. There might be another way, but there is no need to spend the time and energy trying to discover it. Not when we have a tried and true method that works."

"Until me."

Kagome smiled, her eyes flicking up to his hair for a moment. "It's working just fine."

"I'm just not doing it enough."

Shifting her position on the blanket uncomfortably, she nodded. "In time though, I'm sure—"

"I don't think it would be in time to help," he interrupted. "Unless you have some really good therapists here on the island."

She frowned. "You are the only man I've met who loathes the idea of having sex."

He felt his face heat slightly. "I don't _loathe_ it," he began slowly. "I just don't like the idea of it being forced on me."

"No one is forcing you." He simply stared at her, his mouth a thin line. She let out a small huff, rolling her eyes. "Okay, some of us may be a _tad_ bit pushy, but it's for a good reason."

Sighing, he shook his head. "Look, I really do want to help. It's just…" He could see her leaning in closer as she gave him her full attention. "Growing up, I've had nothing but bad experiences with sex. It was our main source of income for my childhood." Kagome's eye's widened as she recoiled.

"You mean—"

"Yeah. My mom was a prostitute." He shook his head. "She had a few other jobs too, but her skill set wasn't too developed – nor was her education." He scratched his cheek as he brought up old, unpleasant memories. "At first, she was just selling herself a few times when we truly desperate. Eventually, it grew to be a regular thing since she made more in a few days than a week at her other jobs. I've always wondered why she seemed so useless when it came to some things. I guess I understand why now."

"She was much older than I was," Kagome confirmed. "She didn't have much interest in the outside world either, which made her decision to leave even more shocking."

"Any idea _why_ she left?" he asked. The desire to have that question answered was overwhelming. His chest sank as Kagome shook her head.

"We've been wondering that ever since she left. There was no warning. One day, she was just… gone – and you with her."

"I guess we'll never know now." Kagome nodded in agreement, clearly working through some private thoughts. "Anyways, it didn't just end when she died. I hopped from place to place until I managed to find a cheap place to rent. The building was filled with prostitutes, gangbangers, addicts, and other degenerates. My floor was where most of the prostitutes had rooms. Guys would always be heading up and down the hall while the women tried to entice them to choose them."

"I had no idea…"

"Of course not. It's not like I've been open with my past. I got to see all the ugliness that comes with the business. Angry pimps, police raids, violent clients – you name it. I know it's different here, but there are a lot of parallels that make me uncomfortable. Everyone wants me to choose them because they have a quota to meet. They may not get a beating if they don't reach it, but that doesn't mean there are no consequences. So here I am stuck somewhere between a moral dilemma and a mental quandary." He took a deep breath. "I could toss away my morals and become something akin to one of the most vial, piece of shit assholes out there, or I end up destroying an entire island full of century plus people and their culture." Kagome didn't say anything, simply reaching over to rest a hand on his leg. Looking down, he went from her hand to her eyes. Once more, he felt his heart ache. The people here had shown him more kindness than he thought possible for someone like himself. The idea that he was letting them down hurt more than he expected, and he quickly diverted his eyes away from Kagome, feeling guilty that he was putting himself before them.

She gave his leg a small squeeze. "What if we took away the choice?" He looked up, meeting her eyes once more. Her expression was soft, filled with concern.

"What?"

"I can see where the parallels are that make you uncomfortable. Kikyo bringing people before you, encouraging you to pick more than one… That does sound a lot like what you were describing. What if, instead of having you pick, someone just came to your room?" She smiled softly. "That would take a lot of pressure off you."

He frowned. "That doesn't get to the core of the issue."

Pulling her hand away, she rubbed her chin in thought. "Would it help at all to think of it as a job?"

 _How many people have made that excuse to clean their conscious when witnessing an injustice? "_ I _didn't wrong those people. I was just doing my job…"_

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I suppose we could give it a shot."

Kagome smiled at that. He really liked when she smiled like that. It made her face light up in a way that made his stomach butterfly. "Great! I can let Kikyo know and—"

"How about you?" he said quickly upon hearing Kikyo's name. The woman may be the perfect person to have in a leadership position, but she had a long way to go in being personable. _And she gets on_ me _about lessons!_ She needed a class or two in not acting like a cold bitch and being friendly.

Eyes wide, Kagome reacted with shock at his suggestion. "Me!?"

"Why not?"

Her hands fidgeted in her lap. "I'm not really in a position—"

"Position be damned," he said, nodding firmly. "I trust you. It's either you, or we continue on like we have been."

She gnawed at her lower lip, clearly unhappy with the turn of events. Yet she seemed to perk up when he told her how he trusted her. Finally, she nodded with a look of determination on her face. "Very well, but do I have your word that you'll accept my picks without complaint?"

"Don't worry, I'll follow your lead." He grinned. "It's a relief knowing you'll be in charge."

She vehemently shook her head. "Oh no. I'm not going to be in _charge_."

"Why not? I think you'll be great at it. Better than Kikyo, that's for sure."

"I doubt that. I know she isn't the easiest person to get along with, but she's been in charge for several decades. She knows what to do better than anyone."

Frowning, he crossed his arms. "I don't know about that. I know experience can bring wisdom, but it also breeds complacency and an unwillingness to adapt with the times."

This time, it was Kagome's turn to grin. "Well listen to you dropping some wisdom of your own."

Inuyasha laughed. "Hardly. I just worked at a shitty mom and pop grocery store for a time. They didn't invest in technology, preferring to keep it 'traditional.' They said that's what their customers wanted. It wasn't. Once a modern store opened up a few blocks away, business tanked. Turns out, people want convenience, and the technology the other store had made it easier and faster to check out. By the time they realized they needed to change, it was too late. They closed down a few months later."

"Still, that's not something I want – at least right now. There is still so much I need to learn."

He shrugged. "No better time than now to do that. Miroku mentioned something about Kikyo was only in charge because I haven't replaced her. Until now, I had no one I knew could do it."

Kagome was clearly uncomfortable, holding her arm as she looked away, her face a mix of emotions. "I appreciate what you're offering, but I still don't believe I am ready for that." She met his gaze. "I will manage your schedule, but that's it."

His shoulder slumped as he nodded his agreement. He hadn't been completely altruistic in his offer. Inuyasha had a vested interest in replacing Kikyo. After all, she was the one giving his lessons. While he could see the value of them, it was still a bitch having _her_ teach him. Every little thing he did wrong got him that damn look of disapproval. Not to mention it always seemed like she was talking down to him.

"Okay, I won't press it. Just know, the offer stands for whenever you feel like you are ready."

She gave him that dazzling smile again. "Thanks."

Their conversation drifted to small talk again before she began packing up things and securing them to the horse. Inuyasha knew it was almost time to get back on the damn beast, and was doing his best to drag it out. After a few embarrassing and awkward minutes of Kagome helping him get back on his horse, the two were casually heading back through the woods towards the stables. His knuckles were white as they gripped the reins, eyes scanning the terrain in front of them.

Kagome glanced over her shoulder, smiling. "Relax Inuyasha. You're making her nervous."

" _Her_ nervous? I'm the one terrified."

"Only because you're new to it. I was too when I first started." She was looking forward, speaking loud enough so he could hear as he followed along behind her. "But as I got used to riding, I grew to love it – and the horses," she said, patting the neck of her horse. "Master Taisho loved to ride too."

"He did?"

Kagome nodded. "He was probably the best rider on the island. I would race him all the time when I was younger. Only managed to beat him a few times – and I'm pretty damn good."

Looking down at his horse, Inuyasha was dubious whether he was willing to give horseback riding the chance to grow on him. _My ass hurts._ "We'll see," he said, not committing to anything. It took a while to exit the woods and enter the manor grounds. As they crossed the large grass field, Kagome slowed and came up beside him. His smile slowly faded when he saw her serious expression.

"On the topic of new things, I've decided," she started, as she brought her horse next to his. _Uh-oh_ , he thought, knowing he wasn't going to like this. Kagome met his gaze. This was a new side of Kagome he hadn't seen before. She was confident and proud, her back straight and a commanding glint in her eye. He was surprised how attractive this new confident Kagome was. "Tonight, you're going to have your first threesome."

He thought he was going to have to double back for his jaw, which dropped as far as it could. "I… _What?_ "

"You gave me your word," she reminded, giving him a hard stare.

"Y-yeah, but…" He realized he had miscalculated. Kagome certainly wasn't Kikyo, but they shared a common goal and they were hellbent on reaching it. The only difference was he had promised Kagome he would follow her lead. Backing out now wasn't an option, not after he had gone on and told her how he trusted her. _What would that say if I suddenly went back on it?_ It would contradict his trust in her, not to mention it would show that his word meant nothing. "I was expecting the three-a-day thing, not… that."

She smiled, her eyes softening. "It'll be fine, I promise. The two I have in mind are experienced and will guide you every step of the way." Her smile widened. "I bet you'll enjoy it more than you realize. You're just nervous—"

"Because I'm new to it," he said, finishing her sentence before she could. "Yeah, I figured you would bring that back up."

"I'll make you a promise. If you don't like it, you won't have to do it again unless absolutely necessary."

Hands gripping the reins tightly, he managed to force himself to sit up straight. "Fine," he said unhappily.

"Great!" she said happily, looking forward again. Inuyasha gave a few glances over towards her, still not comfortable with looking away from where his horse was going for too long.

"Kagome?" he asked, feeling his face heat at the coming question.

"Yeah?" she asked, completely at ease on her horse.

"What about you? Are you uh… well… Have you…" he bumbled along, not quite articulating his question.

"Have I had threesomes?" she asked, guessing his question. "Of course." _'Of course.' As if it's the most natural thing in the world._ He was still getting used to getting laid at all, let alone with different women. _And now she wants me to sleep with two_ at the same time _!_ Her head tilted slightly to the side as she looked at him. "Why? Want some advice?"

"Err, no. I was uh… just curious." Even though he wasn't sure he really wanted to know all this, he had forced himself to ask anyways. _They are comfortable talking about sex here. Constant exposure is the only thing that's going to allow me to not react like a teenager every time they bring it up._

She laughed. "Charming as it is, you don't need to be so bashful. Ask what you want to know. I'm more than happy to answer any questions you have."

Clearing his throat, Inuyasha found he couldn't make eye contact with her. Instead, he stared down at where the horse was walking. "I'm guessing you have a lot of experience with them." He was surprised she managed to hear with how softly he spoke.

Looking thoughtful, she gazed upwards towards the sky. "I suppose that would depend on how you defined, 'a lot.' Master Taisho preferred having only one of us at a time. Still, I suppose I was involved in threesomes on a fairly regular basis considering how many of us there are." She must have noticed his withdrawal because she slowed her pace. "Inuyasha." She waited until he looked over at her before continuing. She was smiling. "You'll do fine. I swear it."

He nodded, not believing her. "Yeah. Okay," he said, taking a deep breath. _You got this Inuyasha. No pressure._

 **oOOOo**

"Master Inuyasha, let me introduce Grace and Emma," Kagome said with a smile, gesturing to each woman respectively. "You may not recognize them because they were on village rotation last week."

Inuyasha nodded to each of them, his stomach knotting. "Nice to meet you." He was thankful he managed to say it without choking on the words. He took a moment to glance them over as they greeted him. Grace was the tallest woman in the room with a few inches on Kagome and several on the petite Emma. Grace had tamed the wild curls of her orange hair and pulled back in a ponytail. Her pale blue eyes made for a strange combination as she fired her intense gaze in his direction. He was confident he had never seen someone with her hair and eye color before, and found it was strangely exotic. She had a strong jawline that framed her attractive square face. A light brushing of freckles ran across her nose and cheeks. Grace also had the largest bust of the three in the room, her uniform clearly defining the rise and fall as his eyes ran over them.

Emma was short, hovering somewhere just above the five-foot mark. Unlike her fellow companions, her uniform had only the gentlest of swells in the chest region. Her blonde hair was straight as if ironed and reached back to rest on her upper back. Hazel eyes met his as her smile widened. Like Grace, she had a strong jawline though hers was softer, more heart-shaped than squared.

As he finished looking over Emma, Kagome had taken that time to walk over to where he was standing. "Like I said before, don't worry about anything. They are more than capable of taking the lead if you want," she said, keeping her voice down so only he could hear. Inuyasha had to resist the urge to step back as she leaned close to him to speak into his ear. She stepped back, a smile on her face. "Try to enjoy yourself, okay?" All he could do was nod. Giving him an encouraging nod, she backed away a few steps before turning and walking to where the other women stood. She said something quietly to them, to which they both nodded. Then she was gone, closing the doors with a wink in his direction.

 _Lord I need a drink,_ he thought as he headed to his trusty table where his amber liquid waited. Pouring a healthy amount, he downed it quickly, coughing as it burned his throat. He had just finished pouring a second helping when a hand reached out to stop him from drinking it. Surprised, he found Grace standing next to him, her hand against his wrist. She wore and impish smile as she slowly brought the glass, and hand by extension, to her lips and took a sip.

"It's not much fun to drink alone." She turned to look at Emma, who had walked over with her. Inuyasha realized he was now trapped between them and the table. To his amazement, Grace locked lips with Emma, who closed her eyes and accepted the passionate kiss. Frozen in place, he watched as the two women shared several heavy kisses before Grace broke away, leaving Emma looking as out of breath as he was. Giving him a knowing smirk, she locked eyes with Inuyasha. "I'm glad to see you enjoyed that as much as I did." He felt his throat constrict as he swallowed. Reaching over, she took the glass from his hand and set it back down on the table. There was something about Grace that he couldn't explain. The way her hypnotic eyes seemed to force his to follow. The purposeful and elegant movements exuded sensuality that made his heart race. Since coming to the island, this was the first time he had ever felt like this. His entire body was a live wire where her every touch sent a jolt through him. The devious glint in her eye showed that she knew it too.

Even though neither woman touched him, he felt himself being dragged over to the bed. His legs taking steps he didn't consciously want. His eyes never seemed to leave the pale blue as they commanded him to follow. He was released from their hypnotic call only when reaching the bed and they turned to a new victim – Emma. It seemed the blonde had as little resistance to the woman's gaze as he did, practically swooning under the woman's attention. They shared a few more kisses, brief promises of what was to come. Inuyasha stood dumbly, transfixed by the sight of the two women skillfully undressing each other. Even with both women standing exposed before him, his found his gaze locked to their passionate kissing rather than roaming over their nude bodies. The way they kissed, hands touching and sliding over the other's body was mesmerizing. There was a rawness to it that he had never witnessed before. Emotion poured from each other as they forced their lips together that he felt more perverse watching them rather than ogling their nude forms. Yet he couldn't force himself to look away.

Grace was clearly the one in control as the two climbed onto the bed. Inuyasha remained steadfast from his spot on the side. It was clear he was not invited to what was happening here. Instead, he was forced to watch, body quivering with the tension of knowing he was watching something intimate but unable to will himself away. Grace hovered over Emma, her lips brushing the smaller woman teasingly as her hand slid between her thighs. Emma jerked slightly from the touch. Her eyes locked with Grace, mouth opening slightly as if pleading. Grace never seemed to give into those desperate pleads, teasing her with promise, yet pulling back when it became apparent that Emma was getting all she wanted. Inuyasha felt forgotten as he stood beside the bed, feeling as if there was an invisible barrier between him and the women. A thin sheen of sweat had formed on his forehead as his breathing grew shallow at the incredible show before him. He found himself rooting for Emma, her whimpers matching the desperate plea from her eyes as her hands ran across Grace. Grace had taken on the role of a cruel mistress, playing with her toy without regards for its feelings.

Emma seemed to be on the verge of finally receiving what she desperately wanted. Her breathing was shallow and fast, back starting to arch as her hands gripped the bedding. Sweat beaded against her forehead as her whimpers grew more frantic, turning into several low moans. All at once, Grace stopped, removing her hand from between her legs completely. Emma looked betrayed, a wordless whine escaping her lips as she clawed desperately at the woman who laid against her. Ignoring her partners pleads, Grace looked up at Inuyasha, acknowledging him for the first time. Her lips tugged slightly in a thin smirk, victory etched into her features. She knew what that little show had done to him. His erection strained painfully against his pants as he leaned forward ever so slightly.

"Poor girl is so close," Grace said softly, meeting Inuyasha's gaze. Her small smirk grew into a full smile. "Perhaps you would like to help her out?" Emma's desperate gaze turned away from Grace to fall upon Inuyasha when it was clear she would get no relief from her. Inuyasha felt something tug at his chest when those pleading eyes hit him with full force. She stared wordlessly at him, her lips parted slightly as her lips quivered. The barrier that separated them seemed to shatter as he urgently clawed at his clothes. He ignored the Cheshire grin Grace wore as she watched his desperation to remove his clothes as quickly as possible. As he crawled onto bed, Grace shifted to allow him access to the sensitive woman. At the same time, she pulled open her friend's legs, giving him a clear view of her glistening slit and silently directing him on what to do. As Inuyasha greedily positioned himself at her entrance, he took a sharp breath of anticipation. He couldn't believe how excited he was without either girl even touching him. Taking a moment, his eyes slid over the petite woman's body to meet her gaze. He found a welcoming expression, her eyes begging him to continue and to do it as quickly as possible. Not wanting to tease her any more than Grace had, he slowly inched forward, feeling himself push into her. Emma took a quivering breath as her eyes moved away from his and towards Grace as he entered her.

"That's it," Grace's voice whispered against his ear as she materialized behind him. He could feel the heat of her body as her breast pressed against his back, her arms wrapping around him. "All the way in," she urged. Emma gasped loudly as he felt himself fully enveloped within her. He moved on automatic, a piston sliding in and out in slow, methodical movements. Emma cooed softly, her eyes closing as she rolled her lower lip into her mouth. Behind him, Grace was urging him on with low, seductive commands. She told him where to touch, how fast to go, and dictated what to do. As time went on, he began to wonder if he was actually the one with Emma, or if he was merely an intermediary for Grace. In the end, it didn't matter. He was completely lost in the moment, groaning as he thrust faster and faster against Emma at Grace's constant urging. He could feel her hands against his chest, running along his abs and shoulder as the heat of her breath tickled his ear. Emma had lost all sense of demure expression, screaming out as he slammed against her. One scream was particularly sharp. He almost slid out of her as her back suddenly arched, her head digging into the bed as she screamed. Her thighs slammed against his hips as she almost twisted away from him.

"Oh wow," Grace breathed, and amused lit in her voice. "I haven't seen her cum this hard in a long time."

Inuyasha didn't last too much longer after that. He had always been borderline, but the sight of Emma's orgasm and Grace's soft touch was too much. Plunging himself as deep into the squirming woman as he could, he grunted loudly as he emptied his seed into her. At the same time, Grace released her hold on him. He nearly face-planted himself against Emma, catching himself with his hands at the last second. His hips quivered slightly as his body forced the last few drops into the now still woman. Breathing hard, the two stared at one another, as if seeing the other for the first time. He watched Emma's face grow increasingly red before realizing their faces were only inches apart. Muttering an apology, he quickly pushed himself away from her.

Grace was there a few seconds later, giving Emma a brief kiss. "Did you enjoy that?" she whispered as she brushed some sweat slicked hair from Emma's forehead. Emma simply nodded before they shared another kiss. While their attention was on each other, Inuyasha slowly pulled himself out of Emma. Cum began to ooze out of her as he realized just how big his own orgasm had been. _Yet I'm still rock hard._ He was still mystified about how things worked. With some women, he was completely normal – getting soft as soon as the act was finished. Other times, it seemed like he only grew _more_ aroused, going again and again with little need for a break. This was turning out to be the latter. His erection seemed to pulse painfully before him as he examined the slick skin of his engorged member.

"I see you weren't satisfied by only that," Grace said, causing his attention to move to her. She was still stroking Emma's forehead, but her eyes were on Inuyasha. Her eyes had a hold of him again. "I'm glad."

Grace unexpectedly pulled him towards the bed. He managed to spin around onto his back just in time to see her throwing her leg over him. Straddling him, she sat back, a confident grin on her face. "My turn," she said, lifting herself just enough to guide him to her entrance. Tossing her head back, she let out a contented sigh as she lowered herself onto him. Inuyasha was completely at her mercy as she bucked wildly atop him. Still sensitive from his time with Emma, he gasped and groaned as she tossed her hair back and looked to the ceiling, crying out in pleasure. They were joined by a demure Emma, her face still flushed as she watched Grace's pleasure filled face. Seeing the woman kneeling beside her, Grace's smile widened before pulling the woman into a deep kiss. Emma didn't resist, being pulled along in the other woman's pace as her lower body continued grinding against Inuyasha. Emma seemed to ignore Inuyasha completely, her attention on Grace as she cupped the larger woman's breasts and focused on returning the passionate kiss.

Overwhelmed by the sight happening above him combined with the sensitivity, he felt another powerful orgasm building within him. He let out a few loud groans as his hands tightened against Grace's hips. She was relentless, the speed and ferocity of her grinding pulling him closer to the point of no return. Breaking her kiss with Emma, she was grinning as she stared into her eyes. "I think he's going to cum. You want him to cum in me?" she cooed, watching the girl's reaction with hungry eyes. When Emma tried to look away, she reached up and grabbed her by the chin, holding her gaze. "Don't be selfish," she said with a firm voice. "You enjoyed him, now let me enjoy mine." Inuyasha didn't last more than a few seconds after that. With a loud groan, he pressed his head back against the bed as he came for the second time. He was only vaguely aware of Grace's reaction to his orgasm. The world around him seemed to spin as pleasure overtook him. Almost at once, he felt as though all his vigor was being sucked from him, leaving him empty and spent. Gasping for air, he lay unmoving on the bed with his eyes locked to the ceiling. Despite the crippling exhaustion, there was a deep sense of satisfaction that rooted itself within him and was taking root. Even with his body laying limp on the bed, he managed a weak smile as he closed his eyes for a moment of well-deserved rest.

 **oOOOo**

"I don't know how you did it, but you did a damn good job," Miroku said, rising from his seat as she entered the room. Kagome shot a sideways glance at Kikyo who was standing off to the side, arms crossed over her chest. She wanted to gloat a little about her accomplishment, but decided against it at the last moment. _No sense in fueling this animosity between us._ She wasn't even sure where the animosity had come from in the first place. It wasn't _that_ long ago that the two were close. If Kagome had to guess, it had started the moment she had started working on taking a more active role in the running of things around the manor. While she wasn't "in charge" like Kikyo was, a lot of the girls came to her for advice or jobs when they couldn't find Kikyo. To make things worse, Kagome wasn't _trying_ to replace Kikyo or take her job. She just wanted to do whatever she could to better the island and its people by taking a more active role in the household.

Kagome felt her face flush slightly over Miroku's praise. "Don't thank me yet. We still have no idea how things will turn out. His life on the mainland was… rougher… than we anticipated. There are a lot of things here that remind him of some of the worst the mainland has to offer." She had debated over whether she should tell them about Izayoi and his general life over on the mainland, but decided against it. _If he wants to share it with others, he can do it himself._

"How can that possibly be? We have been nothing but open and welcoming to him!" Kikyo said, unfolding her arms. "To even compare us to the mainland is an insult."

Shaking her head, she let out a tired breath. "It's not the people Kikyo, it's the practices. He had a rough life over there. We are lucky to be at this point." She looked over at Kikyo as she continued. "Now is not the time to push things any farther than we already have or it could all come crashing down. We may be short this solstice, but not by much."

"I agree," Miroku said, folding his hands in front of him. "Let's be happy with what we have, and worry about what we want later." He focused on Kagome. "The more we keep him on schedule, the more comfortable he will be in the future." He took a deep breath. "With any luck, things will be just as they were."

"Very well. I will not push things," Kikyo said, stepping into the center of the room. She addressed Kagome directly. "I thank you for your efforts, but I will take things from here."

"About that," Kagome said, shifting uncomfortably. "Inuyasha wants me to handle his daily schedule." A flash of anger crossed Kikyo's face before it was quickly buried. "I didn't request it, he did," she added on defensively.

"I'm sure. While you are at it, perhaps you would like to take my role completely?" Kagome felt her face heat for a completely different reason. Her hands balled without her thinking, which forced her to relax them. Now was not the time to start a fight.

"Though you never seem to believe me, I _don't_ want your job. Yes, I have taken increased responsibilities these past decades, but I don't want to be the Housekeeper. Perhaps one day in the future when you are ready to step aside, but not now." There was a tense moment as the two stared each other down. It was Miroku who stepped in, clearing his throat loudly to get their attention.

"Let her do it Kikyo." He walked over, resting a hand on her shoulder. "You do enough as it is. Perhaps it is time to delegate a bit more. Besides, Inuyasha seems comfortable with her – more so than either of us."

There were a few more seconds of hostile stares before Kikyo finally relented. Sighing, she rubbed her forehead. "Fine." She looked back at Kagome, this time without the hostility. "But I want weekly reports."

"Done." Without another word, Kikyo left the two alone.

"That went well," Miroku said as he looked in the direction Kikyo had left in. He glanced over at Kagome. "You think you can get things back on schedule?"

She nodded. "Or damn close."

Nodding, he started towards the door. "Good. Do that, and I'm sure she'll lighten up." Kagome frowned as she watched him leave.

"Since when has that happened in the past few decades?" she muttered before following the other two out the door.

 **oOOOo**

When Inuyasha awoke, he had no idea how much time had passed. Surprisingly, he wasn't alone. Both Emma and Grace were still there. Their heat poured over him as they cuddled against him on either side.

"Well look who decided to wake up," Grace said softly, smiling as he looked over at her. "I was getting worried you would be out for the whole night."

"How long _did_ I sleep?" he asked, not remembering getting under the covers.

He felt Grace shrug against him. "Not more than half an hour."

Taking a deep breath, he stared up at the ceiling as he replayed the fresh memories in his head. "That was…" He frowned. "Incredible seems lacking."

Grace laughed. "You weren't too bad yourself." She lifted her head to look across him at Emma. "Right?"

"I enjoyed it," Emma said, blushing. Inuyasha looked from Emma back to Grace, noticing the way they looked at each other.

"Are you two…" he started, leaving it open.

"Lovers? Yes. Been for close to two centuries now."

"One hundred and eighty-four," Emma added softly. Inuyasha's eyes widened. _How old is the oldest person here?_ Yet despite their age, they seemed perfectly adjusted for this time period.

"That long huh?" Grace said, seemingly impressed herself. "My how time flies."

"I'm surprised. I didn't know those types of relationships were okay."

"Oh, they most definitely weren't - at least publicly," Grace said. "When I turned 15, I was married to a wealthy family's son. He was what you may call a gentleman scientist." She smiled warmly. "Well educated for the time, but rather lacking in intelligence. Alas, Emma was my maidservant. All was well for the first few years. Henry and I were busy working on our firstborn when I caught him in bed with Emma."

Looking to his other side, he found Emma blushing as she avoided eye contact with both him and Grace.

"That… sounds awful."

"Oh, I was furious. Here we were trying for a child and he was blowing his seed in my maidservant." A smile formed. "But then I realized I had a wonderful opportunity. See, I had always been attracted to women, even as a child. The times as they were however, I kept that buried deep within me. Finding my husband with another woman offered me a way to fulfill my true desires. Thus, our ménage à trois lifestyle began. I was able to love a woman as I truly desired, and Henry… well… he enjoyed the arrangement as well."

"Where was this?"

"London, 1833. I remember because we left a year later for…" She paused, thinking.

"Prussia," Emma offered.

"Ah right. Sorry. We were going to so many places then." She sighed. "Henry had a severe case of wanderlust. Always going from one place to another in search of adventure. We spent a few years in the Near East before heading towards the Far East. Henry had this fool hearted idea of visiting Japan during the height of its isolation. 'A land unseen by Western eyes,' he thought." She took a deep breath. "A massive storm capsized our ship. We managed to get on a lifeboat and drifted before finally arriving here."

"It was a much different place then," Emma said.

"Very different. Much more secretive then and doing their best to hide from the world. Now, we hide in plain sight. An uncharted island would draw much more interest than a small island with a few hundred people on it with no defining features. Needless to say, Henry was overjoyed with the idea of having an uncharted island to discover. Most of our documentation actually came from him."

"He was certainly energetic," Emma said with a chuckle.

"That he was. For myself, I was absolutely in love with the island. It took some time to learn the language, but they accepted us for who we were – a husband, a wife, and their shared lover. They only seemed to care about keeping us here. We actually didn't find out the secret of this island until the winter solstice. That… was shocking at the time – even for us."

"What happens on the solstice?"

Grace and Emma shared a look. "That… you will have to ask Miroku or Kikyo." Grace quickly continued, eager to move on from the subject. "Master Taisho offered us immortality as well, and we accepted. It was great for the next few decades. Henry and I took a few more lovers over the years, as we found people here are much more… fluid… with their relationships." She had a distant look in her eye as she looked over at Emma. "But despite our love for the island and the wonderful times we had, Henry had explored every nook and cranny. There was nothing left for him here… so he left."

"This was before we knew what happened to those who left," Emma continued. "Communication was terrible back then. We just woke up one day and he was… gone. Stole a boat and headed off to sea."

"Yeah. People were pissed. They thought we helped him. It was your father who saved us. He stepped in and offered us refuge in his manor. It was supposed to be temporary until the anger died down." She smiled sadly. "And we have been here ever since." Reaching over, her hand ran along his exposed chest. "Master Taisho saved us in more ways than one, and we've done all we could to repay him. Now that you have taken the Master role, we plan on being equally as diligent."

"Agreed," Emma added softly.

Inuyasha felt slightly uncomfortable from Grace's touch, but he didn't have very many places to go squeezed in-between them. "I hope to live up to his mighty reputation."

"You'll do just fine," Grace said with a smile. It faded as she grew serious. "Though, I would request a favor from you." He looked over as she continued. "Master Taisho knew about Emma and me, as you do now. As such, he took care to always called for us together. Of course, you don't have to, it's just… we would appreciate it if you bedded us together." Inuyasha spared a look to his other side to fine Emma's hopeful eyes watching him.

"That's certainly not something I thought I would ever hear…" He took a deep breath. "That said, I can't deny I didn't enjoy our time together." He nodded. "I'll do that."

Both women were all smiles. "Thank you Master Inuyasha!" Grace said, leaning over to plant a kiss on his lips. He was as surprised as Emma looked. At the same time, he felt a hand gently rub at his manhood. It wasn't hard to guess whose hand it belonged to. "And while I would love to chat some more, I know you have plenty of energy left in you," she said as her eyes moved up to his hairline. "That is… if you think you can go a few more rounds with the two of us."

Grinning, Inuyasha certainly felt like trying.

 **oOOOo**

 **Another chapter down. Feel free to drop a review if you enjoyed it. They really help motivate me to write more. Until next time…**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any characters associated with it. This story is rated for a mature audience and may contain language, violence, sex, and/or gore.**

 **oOOOo**

It felt too early when Kagome woke him for the day. Both Emma and Grace had been determined to drain every last drop of energy out of him – and succeeded from his perspective. Yet despite his late night, Kagome was determined to get him out of bed obscenely early. She was polite enough to look away as he covered himself in the towel she got for him from the bathroom. He had barely left the bed when a swarm of maids rushed in and began changing the bedding.

"This morning," Kagome continued, impossibly chipper for being so early in the morning. "I have Cecile here for you."

"Are you serious?" he asked, groggily as he rubbed his eyes. "I just woke up. I barely have the energy to stand and stay awake."

"I understand, but that's the schedule." She smiled sweetly, hands behind her back. "Cecile would be more than happy to assist you in the bath." Beside her, the woman nodded happily. "Master Taisho was rather fond of having company when he took his morning baths."

Running a hand through his hair, he sighed. He was still undecided how he felt about hearing all the ways his father bedded the women around here. On one hand, it felt necessary for him to find a rhythm to living here. The other, it was somewhat disturbing knowing the intimate details on how his father operated.

"Fine, whatever." _I did agree that I wasn't going to fight this, but come on!_ Without another word, he headed to the bathroom and left the others to work. Inuyasha expected a lackluster performance from himself, but was surprised at how much energy he got once he lowered himself into the steaming water. Despite the gauntlet Emma and Grace had put him through the night before, he was easily able to keep up with Cecile. More, he thought he did a damn good job considering. The first time, he sat half submerged on the stone bench lining the side opposite of the waterfall. With her back pressed against his chest, Cecile sat on his as lap he thrust into her, his hands cupping her breasts and running along her wet skin as her moans filled the bath. With her head resting against his shoulder, he was able to see her pleasure-filled face as he got her close to orgasm. Finding himself not satisfied with just one, he had her leaned over the side of the bath as he pounded into her from behind. She was much louder the second time around, her legs nearly giving out as he emptied his second load into her. He was proud that his second time managed to get her to climax as well.

Despite her exhaustion, she helped him dry before he shooed her out to let him dress alone. Leaving the bath more tired than he entered, he found Kagome waiting for him outside. Self-conscious about being half-naked with only a towel covering him, he cleared his throat and tried to look confident. He took a few steps towards her. Beyond, he could see his bed where clothes were laid out for him. _I_ can _dress myself you know._ "Were you standing out here the entire time?"

"I was," she said. It was annoying how adept she was at keeping her face neutral. She gestured to the clothes lying on the bed. "I made the bed and laid out some fresh clothes for you."

"So you—"

"You seemed to find the energy after all," Kagome said with an amused half-smile. Her head followed him as he moved past her. "How was last night?" she asked, turning to face him.

"Exhausting." Knowing that wasn't what she wanted to hear, he stopped to face her. "But enjoyable." She gave him a dazzling smile, clearly pleased by what she heard.

"That's wonderful to hear! Tonight I was thinking—"

"Kagome?" he cut in, raising a hand to stop her.

"Yes?"

"That doesn't mean I want one every night." _I mean, you weren't seriously—_ he saw the look on her face and realized she _had_ been planning it. "That's an abuse of trust, and you know it. Not to mention I don't think I'd survive," he added quietly.

"I…" She nodded. "I may have been a bit – _zealous_ – of my desire to get back on track." She gently gnawed on her lower lip as she looked up at him. "Would… every other day be okay? At least until everything is caught up."

He took a moment to think. _If every threesome was like last night, every other day might be too much._ Sighing, he gave a slight nod. "Just until we catch up," he said thrusting a finger towards her. Inuyasha was beginning to understand why his father preferred one at a time. _They_ got breaks, while he was constantly up for performance. _Now I know how a dairy cow feels._

"Thank you," Kagome said. "I know a lot of people will be happy to hear that. We were all a bit anxious by how far we are behind our goal. The solstice may seem far away now, but it will be here before you know it."

Seeing his opportunity, he leapt on it. "Speaking of the solstice," he said, trying to keep his tone casual. "What exactly happens? Seems to be a big deal."

"For you? Nothing."

He frowned. "That wasn't what I asked."

Stepping towards him, she gestured to his clothes. "One day at a time, okay?"

It was clear he wasn't going to get an answer, which annoyed him. "See, that doesn't make me feel any better about things. I know you don't want to overwhelm me, but at the same time, no one likes being left in the dark."

Kagome avoided his gaze as she walked across the room to where the single bottle of alcohol rested on the table. Picking up the glass he used before, it was clear she was going to take it to be replaced with a clean one. "You're going to have to trust me. I _promise_ you it's nothing you have to worry about." Turning, she gave him a thin smile. "If anything, it's a break for you."

Inuyasha wasn't sure how to take that, so he just stood there with a hand against his hip to ensure his towel remained in place. He sighed, shaking his head. "Fine, it's clear you don't want to talk about it."

"It's not that I don't want to talk about it—"

He waved her off. "Just… let me get dressed." Inuyasha did his best to ignore the pained expression that flashed across her features, but he was too irritated to care.

"I'll go make sure breakfast is ready for you." Turning his back to her, he waved her off. He didn't move from the side of the bed until he heard the door close behind her. Looking down at his clothes, he was once more blown away by the wealth he now had. He was fairly sure it was custom made. That it had no brand name stitched anywhere farther cemented his belief. Regardless, it was as fine as clothing as anything he had seen in stores. Better even if you considered how it seemed to perfectly fit him. Tossing the damp towel on the bed, he quickly began to dress himself. Once dressed, he looked at himself in the mirror. He barely recognized the man in the reflection. While the fashion was undeniably rustic and a tad bit dated, it fit well with the environment he was in. It reminded him of an aristocrat with his loose white shirt under a grey vest with gaudy gold buttons. Combined with his black slacks, it matched well with the black and white uniforms the women wore around the house.

Leaning a bit closer to the mirror, he brushed at his white hair. He had one of the women trim his hair to where he was used to it, but the damn thing grew like a weed on steroids. It had only been a few days and it was already halfway to his shoulder. _In another few days, it'll be past my shoulder again._ It wasn't that he disliked the look of him with long hair, it was just a pain in the ass to maintain.

Rubbing his eyes, he rolled his head a few times. Taking a deep breath, he nodded to himself in the mirror as he rubbed his hands. A grin formed as he thought about the breakfast waiting for him. "Time for the best part of the day."

 **oOOOo**

There was a rhythm to life in the manor, and Inuyasha was getting better at stepping to the beat. Kagome would wake him just after dawn where he would have a few minutes to prepare himself for his first woman of the day. Depending on his mood, he either made love to her on the bed or in the bath. After dressing, he would head downstairs for breakfast. Miroku and Kikyo would bug him throughout the experience with mundane things like personnel and maintenance issues – despite him having nothing to do with either of them. Hell, he didn't even think they would _let_ him weigh in on the issues. Their job was just to make him aware of them and what _they_ were doing about it.

After breakfast, he had lessons with Kikyo. She had, thankfully, lightened up since he had allowed Kagome to manage his schedule. She was almost pleasant to be around. Almost. She was a great teacher, but her drive to perfection rubbed him the wrong way. He was convinced nothing he did would ever satisfy her. He always found himself overjoyed when Kagome came to the rescue at noon with another woman in tow. After making love to the next woman, he would come down for lunch. By then, he was starting to feel the strain of lack of sleep and the exertion these women required from him. It was a weird feeling. While it was physical exhaustion, it was unlike any he had felt before. No matter how little sleep he had, he always managed to spring to life in the morning after a few minutes of walking around. The more women he was with, the harder it was to get the energy to do anything. It was like each one was draining him of something more than just physical energy. In a way, he guessed they were. The thing that creeped him out most was his hair. After one or two women, his hair would begin to turn black again in weird streaks. After the third, it was usually completely back to it's "natural" black. Come morning, it always returned to platinum white.

His afternoons were free after lunch. He spent his time in different ways. Despite his weakness in the literary arts, he found himself reading more once Miroku gave him a tablet and showed him how to access the vast collection of books available to him. Kagome had managed to convince him to give horseback another try, giving him a structured lesson instead of taking him somewhere. Inuyasha was still not convinced and his backside agreed.

Following dinner and listening to the mundane issues of the day, Inuyasha was once again free. Usually, he was so drained that he retired early – or at least as early as he could considering his final task for the day. True to her word, Kagome rotated between one and two women for the night. Now that he had four threesomes under his belt, he wasn't sure how he felt about them. Grace and Emma had set the bar high with their performance. While the others had left him far from wanting, it was clear they weren't as into the experience as those two had been. And as fun as the threesomes were, he couldn't deny he never felt as perky in the morning and was often more exhausted by the evening.

Before he knew it, another week had passed. He had been on the island for almost a month now and he was still no closer to figuring out what the hell was going on than he had the first two weeks. He was also amazed by just how many people he had slept with. Now that he was on Kagome's brutal schedule, he had just about slept with every woman in the manor and was starting to work through them again. There had been a noticeable shift in the general mood. For one, he was far more comfortable walking around and greeting everyone. The women no longer looked at him with hopeful eyes – or at least, they no longer seemed desperate to attract his attention. Inuyasha wasn't a complete idiot. He could tell they would have dropped everything had he offered, but it no longer felt like he _needed_ to do it. The atmosphere was no longer thick with tension as everyone seemed happy with how things were going – minus Kikyo, who he was convinced was _never_ happy. He found himself passing time by talking to the many people who worked the manor. While it was interesting learning about them, he also felt guilty having slept with so many people without knowing anything about them. He was only just starting to get everyone's name down.

 _Taira,_ Inuyasha thought to himself as he looked up at the raven-haired beauty. She had her eyes closed, mouth parted slightly as she rocked against him. _I'm pretty sure her name is Taira._ He tried to distract himself from the heat and pressure that was pulling him closer to release. The problem was the more he thought about it, the more unsure he was. _It would be awkward to ask now, wouldn't it?_ As he watched her pleasure-filled face, his eyes caught sight of a few white streaks in her hair – the same color as his own. It wasn't just her either. All the women he had slept with had various degrees of white in their hair now. Yet as creepy as it was to him, the women seemed to take it as a badge of honor. He had overheard several conversations bragging about the color of their hair.

"Master Inuyasha," she gasped, eyes opening to reveal their dark brown color. Hearing his name brought his attention back to the present. She moaned his title a few more times as she ran her hands up his bare chest. He really didn't enjoy being called "master" during sex, but it was one thing he couldn't get them to budge on. By the third time, she was moving much faster making it increasingly difficult to concentrate on anything other than her beautiful pert breasts…

"Oh fuck," he groaned, thrusting his hips up as he came. Tossing her head back, she sighed in content as his seed flooded into her. Collapsing his head back against the pillow, he breathed deep as his orgasm faded. Taira – he was convinced now that was her name – remained atop him until he began to soften within her. Knowing her time was at an end, she lifted a leg and dismounted him. Being his second woman today, he felt the familiar drain start in his chest, as if an important part of him was missing. His arms and legs felt heavy as he remained sprawled on the bed. Inuyasha was too exhausted to react to her cleaning him up, only vaguely aware of her leaving the bed to dress.

"Thank you again Master Inuyasha," she said from the side of the bed, waking him. He hadn't realized he nodded off.

"Huh? Oh. No. Thank you Taira. You were fantastic." He took a calculated risk calling her by name. The reaction was worth the risk. By her smile, he knew he had gotten her name right. Giving him a quick bow, she retreated from view. Once he heard the door close, he rolled off the bed and began to dress. Like always, the more he forced himself to move the less heavy his limbs felt. Still, he was never back to one hundred percent after. Adjusting his vest, he opened the door and nearly ran into Kagome.

"Oh! Master Inuyasha!" she said, lowering her raised fist. He realized she had been about to knock. "You are finished already?"

He was getting used to the casual sex talk, but there was something about talking about it with Kagome that made him uncomfortable. Now that he thought about it, he always felt weird when he was with her. Not weird in a bad way, just… weird. Inuyasha had the sense that the other women here looked at him as the master in the truest sense of the word. It felt as though he were on another plane, and they were just lucky to have his attention for that briefest of moments. With Kagome, it was something different completely. While she still technically followed his orders, she carried herself with much more confidence. That even though he was technically superior to her, he wasn't some untouchable entity that completely negated her self-worth when she was around. She wasn't the only one. Both Kikyo and Sango acted like that around him, but he had seen Sango only sparingly and Kikyo… well… was Kikyo.

"I know I have some issues, but I never figured being premature was one of them."

Her eyes widened in shock. "N-no! That wasn't what— There are no complaints—"

"Kagome," he said firmly, reaching out to place his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him. "I was joking."

She smiled sheepishly, face flushing slightly. "Yes… Of course."

Removing his hands, he gave Kagome a quick once over as he realized she was out of uniform again. It was different than the other time. While she was still wearing jeans, she was in noticeably nicer clothes. She was wearing a white sleeveless shirt that was longer on the left side, the right side ending just below the belt. The lower portion of the shirt reminded him of the ocean waves before they crashed onto the shore. Her hair was also done differently. While it normally hung free, today it was pulled back into a ponytail.

"You look… nice," he said lamely. Her cheeks reddened a few shades more as he cleared his throat. "Something special going on today?"

"Actually – yes," she said as if his question reminded her why she was here in the first place. She gave him a wide smile, which caused him to be _extremely_ uncomfortable for reasons he couldn't put his finger on. "You've been working hard and I figured you could use a break. I was hoping to take you for a chance of scenery. Since it is technically supposed to be my week off, I wondered if you wanted to come with me."

He paled slightly at the thought of another horseback ride. He was seriously contemplating asking for another woman. "Err…"

Seemingly following his thoughts, she looked slightly disappointed. "It has nothing to do with horses." Inuyasha let out a relieved sigh. "Not that there is anything wrong with that," she added with pouty cheeks.

"No. No of course not," he hastily agreed, not believing a single word of it.

"However, I _did_ promise you a movie." _That_ got him to perk up. "So I talked with the theater and—"

"What are we waiting for?" Inuyasha asked, sliding out of his room. He was already a few steps down the hall before he heard Kagome rushing after him, laughing.

"You haven't even heard the movie!"

"Doesn't matter!" he called over his shoulder.

He was surprised to find Miroku by the door. "I've talked to the theater. You will have it for the afternoon."

"Thank you," Kagome said, finally catching up to Inuyasha as he stopped before the door. Inuyasha gave her a curious look as Miroku opened the door for him.

"Enjoy the movie Master Inuyasha," Miroku said as he was hurried out the door by Kagome. Goro was waiting next to the open car door. Once he and Kagome climbed in, the door closed and he made his way around the car.

"I figured you would be uncomfortable, so I asked Miroku if he could talk to the owner and have him close the theater for the afternoon."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "You can do that?"

Kagome nodded. "Of course. Technically, you _own_ the theater. You own everything here actually. No one is going to fight you when you make requests like this." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Though, you have to be reasonable. And indulgence or two is perfectly acceptable, but no one likes a tyrant."

"I'll keep that in mind," he said, shifting anxiously in his seat. He wished Goro would speed up. While he waited, he tried to think back to the last time he had been to a movie. He gave up when nothing came to him.

"I was wondering what to show, so I talked to Miroku," Kagome said, trying to fill the silence that had built between them. "He told me you have been reading quite a bit of science fiction."

Inuyasha shrugged. "I just like the space stuff. I tried reading a few of Dad's books, but…" He sighed. "It's hard to get into a porn book when you are living one."

She giggled. "Master Taisho never read them for that."

Inuyasha frowned. "Then what?"

"The relationships. Master Taisho was a romantic."

"He was having sex with over forty women. He didn't want for relationships."

Kagome's expression fell, her eyes on her lap. "I suppose you could say that." Inuyasha knew he was missing something important, but didn't press the issue. It was clear that whatever ran down that rabbit hole was personal. He was a bit surprised when she continued, looking him in the eye as she spoke. "But is a relationship just about having sex with someone?"

Inuyasha was confused by the question. _Of course it isn't._ His old life had been built on and around people whose relationship with sex had been a means of income. Still, sex played an important part in a real relationship. If you liked someone, you had sex with them. _That's how families are created after all._ He knew that most, if not all, the women he had slept with wouldn't be jumping to have his children, but it wasn't as if they disliked him. Everyone genuinely seemed to like him – even Kikyo in her weird way. Each day, he was getting more comfortable with talking to them, getting to know them as people. They returned that whole-heartedly. He rather enjoyed the after-sex chats he was starting to have. The people here had such interesting backgrounds. Yvette was one that came to mind. Born in 1605 France, she had been on this island for nearly four centuries. She was even acquainted with his grandfather, the first Master of the island. Talking to her had been eye opening. She had one hell of a story on how she eventually found herself halfway across the world stranded on this island.

"Isn't that what you do in a relationship with someone you like?"

"Well, yes, but—" She stopped, looking at him. Finally, she simply smiled. "You're right. I suppose Master Taisho was a bit silly." He could tell she was just saying that and didn't actually believe it. Inuyasha was sure he was missing something important, but had no idea what it was. After being on his own for so long, he was just happy to be around people who enjoyed his company and looked _at_ him instead of through him. Granted, he could use a little less hero-worship.

The conversation died when they arrived at the theater. Looking out the window, his eyes looked up at the display in awe. Being the middle of the afternoon, the bulbs were off. He could only imagine how wonderful the place looked at night with all the lights on. **Now showing: Marvel Marathon.** __Frowning, he glanced over at Kagome as Goro walked around the car to let him out. "What's 'Marvel Marathon?'"

"Ah, that's what's normally playing. They are playing one Marvel movie a day until they get through the entire collection." She thought for a moment. "I think they are on 'The Avengers' right now."

"Huh." He climbed out of the car, continuing to look up at the sign. A couple walked past, offering a greeting and bowing their heads in reverence. Awkwardly, he gave a sloppy bow and returned the greeting.

"Better get used to that," Kagome said now beside him, watching the couple as they continued down the street. "They aren't going to mob you like before, but they are never going to treat you as an equal." He frowned, shaking his head.

"I'm a man just like any other."

Snorting, Kagome grabbed his arm, pulling him towards the doors. "Not many men are walking fountains of youth. Come on. We still need to get snacks."

The movie turned out to be something called Star Wars, which was apparently an original trilogy. Kagome said there were more movies, but he was only going to see the first three – which turned out wasn't the actual first three, but actually four, five, and six. The whole thing was confusing. One thing that wasn't confusing was the popcorn. He had never taken drugs, seeing what they did to people firsthand, but he was sure this was as close to crack as you could get. He vacuumed up the first tub before the Death Star was introduced, causing a giggling Kagome to go get a refill. Overall, he was transfixed by the visuals, sounds, and food. Kagome had to shush him several times, reminding him politely of theater etiquette – something he didn't see a point of since they were the only ones there. With the defeat of the second Death Star and rolling credits, Inuyasha left the theater with his head spinning.

"That was better than sex," he said, belly uncomfortably stuffed with a fourth tub of popcorn. He was carrying the fifth tub with his right arm – unwilling to part without something for a snack later tonight. He turned to Kagome quickly as they reached the waiting car – nearly spilling the popcorn at the same time. "And Darth Vader was his _father?_ What the fuck!"

Kagome laughed. "I'm surprised that wasn't spoiled for you."

"I don't get out much."

"I remember seeing it for the first time too – and having to wait for the next one to come out."

"Ugh. That must have been _torture_." Inuyasha followed Kagome into the car, Goro shutting the door behind him. It had gotten dark outside and the theater was brightly lit, but he was still too excited to bother looking. He nearly missed the crowd that was waiting outside, but it was hard ignoring the mass of people who bowed reverently in his direction. "The graphics were _amazing_. It was like I was actually there."

Kagome laughed harder at this. "Oh man. You are in for a big shock when you see something more… modern."

His jaw nearly dropped. He couldn't see _how_ it could be any more lifelike than that. "I can't wait to see the next trilogy. Aren't they a prequal? We should see them tomorrow!"

"Hmm. I'm actually curious how you'll react to them. But remember what I said about abusing power? Why don't we give it a few days at least?"

He let out a disappointing sigh. "Fine."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," Kagome said, not meeting his eye. "I know how exhausting your job is."

"Hmph," he said as he stuffed a handful of popcorn in his mouth. _Why the fuck am I still eating this?_ He already felt like he was going to split down the center. "And whose fault is that?" She didn't answer him. Not that he was expecting an answer anyways. He had said it teasingly, and he hoped she recognized that. Giving her a few sideways glances, he tried to gauge her mood. Kagome was sitting with her hands folded on her lap, her head turned towards the window. They were leaving the outskirts of the town now, so the lights from the housing began to fade, causing shadows to dance around her features. He felt his face flush.

 _Is this a date?_ he felt himself wonder as he looked at her. It _was_ just the two of them. Inuyasha was dressed up, though he wasn't sure that counted since his entire wardrobe was stylish now. The clothes he had brought with him had mysteriously disappeared long ago and he'd discovered people got irritable when he tried to pick out his own clothes. More evidence was Kagome herself. She was clearly dressed up in nicer clothes than the last time they had gone out. He wasn't an expert in female fashion, but he was sure it was at least a step above casual.

The idea of being on a date made him self-conscious. Kagome was a gorgeous woman – they all were. However, there was something different about her. Besides Kikyo, he had spent more time with Kagome than any other person on the island. Because of their near daily interaction now, he was slowly getting to know about her. Yes, he was doing that with the other women in the manor as well, but this happened more organically. He had never been close enough to anyone of the opposite sex to ask out. This was probably the best chance he had ever had in his life. Besides, it was clear Kagome cared about him, right? He felt pretty attached to her as well. Wasn't that the most important thing?

Yet despite all the checks in the "yes" box, he hesitated. As limited as his knowledge on the subject was, he knew it wasn't natural for an interested woman to bring you other women to sleep with. She was always so upbeat when she announced who would be his next bed partner. More, Kagome was also there when he was finished, that same brilliant smile asking if he enjoyed it. As if there was ever any doubt about it. Even with his blunders, the women were all experienced and took it in stride, adapting and taking the lead when it mattered.

Goro pulled to a stop and Inuyasha realized in surprise that they were already back to the manor. Walking around to the side, he held open the door for Inuyasha and Kagome to exit. Craddling his popcorn tub, Inuyasha faced Kagome. Her ponytail blew in the salty breeze coming in off the ocean. Reaching up, she brushed a few errant strands from her face and gave him a warm smile. He nearly dropped his tub.

"I hope you enjoyed yourself." He simply nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Besides, it would be hard with the lump in his throat. "Good. Do you want me to have the kitchen make you something?"

He shifted with the tub awkwardly, suddenly anxious around her. _Damn thoughts and feelings._ "I think I'm good for the night."

She nodded. "I'll see you in a few hours then?" He was about to ask what for, then realized she would be bringing his nightly appointment.

"Sure," he said solemnly. Reaching out, she brushed his arm and walked past him. He watched her retreating form as she climbed the stairs to the manor. Realizing he was ogling her ass, he pulled his eyes away and followed after her.

 **oOOOo**

Inuyasha was on his second glass when he heard the knock on the door. After telling them to come in, he quickly finished the remainder and refilled it for a third. He was a tad woozy. While he wasn't new to drinking, the stuff on his table was strong and he had just downed a decent amount in record time. After storing his popcorn, he had taken a quick bath in the hopes he would calm down. It was like his mind was fixated on Kagome now. He kept running through "what-if" scenarios that had zero chance of playing out.

"That was full when we left," Kagome said, clearly seeing the sizable depletion from the bottle.

He shrugged, not facing her. "I was in the mood." Inuyasha could hear the judgement in her voice.

"Well I sincerely hope it doesn't affect your performance tonight."

Sighing, he lowered his head. His shoulders felt heavy as he sat the glass down on the silver platter with a clank. He turned. "Don't worry. I'll be sure to—" Shocked, he stopped when he found Kagome standing there. Seeing his expression, she tilted her head slightly in confusion.

"Something wrong?" she asked. She had changed back into her uniform sometime after they arrived back home. That wasn't what got him. Looking from side to side, she was undoubtedly alone.

"I should ask you the same thing." He paused. "Do I get the night off?" Hearing the words aloud, he actually felt himself excited by the prospect. Sex was great, but by evening, he was already tired. Not to mention the third time always seemed to affect him the most – whether it was one woman or two. He didn't so much fall asleep as simply collapse in exhaustion.

Her smiled betrayed her confusion. "Why would you think that?"

"Well… You are alone," he said as if it was obvious – because it _was_.

Her face reddened slightly. "That's because your partner tonight is me." Stunned, he stared dumbly at her. Seeing his reaction, she looked a little hurt. "I _do_ work here as well," she huffed, planting her hands on her hips.

"Err, right," he said, quickly turning around. _Holy shit._ Despite secretly hoping for this situation, now that it was right in front of him, he was terrified. It was as if his body was frozen. _Now I really_ do _need that drink._ Fortunately, it was right where he left it. He coughed after downing it in one go.

"Is the thought of sex with me really that bad?" she asked. Glancing over his shoulder, he found she had moved a few steps towards him.

Shaking his head, he set the glass down while resisting the temptation to refill it. Three in and he was already feeling the effects. "It's not like that." She cocked an eyebrow in interest, but said nothing. "Think of it as… Liquid courage." Kagome was uncomfortably close now, steadily stepping towards him.

"Courage? What for?" she said in a throaty whisper. His voice caught in his throat, unable to escape as she hovered inches from him, her head tilted to look up at him. She had a thin smile on her face. It was clear she was enjoying watching him squirm.

 _This is all happening so fast._ It was only a few hours ago that he had awaken to the fact that she was, in fact, a woman. Now, here she was ready to jump in bed with him.

"You seem nervous."

"A little," he admitted, glancing away from her steady gaze.

"No need to be." He could feel her hands rub against the front of his thighs. "This is just." He could feel his pants loosen as she undid his belt and button in a few quick movements. "Another." His pants were sliding down, along with his underwear. Her eyes never left his, but he could feel her warm hand against his rapidly growing erection. "Night." Her voice was a whisper as she sank to her knees.

Inuyasha backed into the table behind him. The tray and glass clattered noisily as he used his hands to steady himself as his erection disappeared into her wet mouth. "Oh fuck," he gasped, feeling her hands run along the underside of his shaft. Her fingers gently tickled his balls as her head slid up and down on his sensitive tip. He had gotten blowjobs before, but rarely were they anything like this. Kagome was skilled in this particular art, and was masterfully performing her craft. A small part of him wondered if it was truly her skill, or if it was the person herself that made the experience so intense.

Like the others, she stopped when he was getting close to climax. It was an annoying habit of theirs. They would pull him to the edge, but stop before he reached that critical point. From there, the only chance he had of relief was doing the work himself. He was still using the table for support as she got to her feel before him, a sly smile on her face as she slowly licked her lips. Backing away, she slowly began to undo her uniform. One piece at a time fell to the floor as she approached the bed. Sadly, she turned right before she exposed herself completely. Twisting her torso, she beckoned him over as his eyes slid over the smooth skin of her shoulders and back. He was quick to follow, eager to see what she had been hiding beneath the uniform all this time.

She laughed at his reaction. "You seem cured of your anxiety." Her smile faded when he stood before her, staring down at her. Her face had grown serious as her brown eyes stared back into his. Inuyasha's eyes fell onto her slightly parted lips, his heart racing. After all this time, he had never wanted someone as much as he wanted her. Slowly, he started in for a kiss. He was mere inches when her head moved back, turning slightly. It was subtle, barely noticeable from this distance, but he _did_ notice it. The spell was broken and the heated atmosphere between them cooled. It appeared she hadn't even noticed doing it, but for him, it was like being pushed into a pool of ice water. In that moment, he realized that whatever feelings he had for Kagome were just that – _his_ feelings. To her, this was her job, just like all the others.

 _Then what was everything up until now for?_

His body seemed numb from the shock of the revelation, barely noticing her pulling him onto the bed with her. Hands holding his, she drew him in between her spread legs. Guiding him to her, his instincts took over as he slowly drove himself into her welcoming embrace. Her legs hugged him tightly, locking around his back as he jerked his hips against her. Kagome's moans were sweet music to his ears, urging him forward in the hopes to reach new heights and create even more beautiful sounds. His concerns and worries fell aside as the blanket of pleasure wrapped around his body, blinding and numbing him to everything besides her. Grunting and groaning, he felt himself thrusting with increasing force, his body craving relief despite the hurt in his heart. She had rejected his heart, but not his body. Fortunately, he had something to distract him from his thoughts.

He put everything he had into his drives, discovering new sides to Kagome he had never expected or seen before. For one, she was a screamer. Others were quite vocal, but few were quite like this. To someone outside, one might have mistaken her for seducing the god of sex himself. He was hardly worthy of an amateur title compared to his partners. Another aspect to Kagome was that she had a bit of a foul mouth – and she really, _really_ liked the word "fuck." At times, it seemed like it was the only word she knew and used it liberally. It was a good thing she had clamped on to him with her legs, because the way she was squirming and flopping on the bed, he had no doubt he would have had trouble staying inside her. Jutting her chest out as she arched her back, her hands grabbed at the bedding.

"Fuck!" she screamed, elongating the word.

All this together made him ponder the situation. Either he was _really_ good, or she was exaggerating for his benefit. The problem was he knew he wasn't the former, which only left him with one remaining choice.

 _She's one hell of an actress,_ he thought as he leaned forward, arms on both sides of her as he tried to get better leverage on her. She was taking everything he could give and demanding more. Inuyasha had his limit however, and he had hit it. Groaning, he gave one last thrust with all the might he could muster as he reached climax. Trying to control his breathing, he attempted a few weaker thrusts before the sensitivity caused him to rest himself deep inside her. She was gasping for breath, head resting against the bed as his orgasm came to an end. Closing her eyes, she smiled as she rested her fingertips against her navel.

"I can feel it," she whispered. "I've missed this feeling."

Confused, Inuyasha carefully worked himself out of Kagome which was made difficult since she still had her legs locked around him. Fortunately, they grew loose enough for him to slid out of her. Looking down, he found he was still fully erect.

 _It's going to be one of those nights,_ he thought, frowning.

Opening her eyes, Kagome looked up at him to find his attention wasn't on her. Head rising from the bed, she followed his gaze. Upon seeing his still erect cock, she laughed, head falling back to the bed. "All that and you're _still_ hard?"

He frowned, not quite liking the tone. Inuyasha knew it was made to tease him, but he was still stinging from her rejection earlier. "It gets like this sometimes. I don't know why."

Her laughing faded as she pushed herself up onto her elbows. He had to force his gaze up to not stare at her exposed chest. Meeting her eyes didn't help much. He had to fight the overwhelming desire to wrap her in a hug and never let go. "For Master Taisho, it usually happened when he had too much energy remaining at the end of the day. It's also due to your emotional state, but that is unpredictable since there isn't a predictable pattern to it."

"It's exhausting," Inuyasha complained.

"I can only imagine." Her eyes met his. "Want me to do most of the work this time?"

"We're going again?"

She grinned. "Unless you want to stay like that," she said with a gesture towards his erection. Frowning, Inuyasha shook his head.

He expected Kagome to take a few more minutes to collect herself, but she immediately sprang into action. Rolling him onto his back, she quickly swung a leg over him. He could see the wet marks of his cum on her leg. Straddling him, she scooted back into position, oblivious to the extra fluids she was leaking. He watched as she reached down to place him at her entrance. A few seconds later, he disappeared into her. Holding on, Inuyasha expected a wild ride now that Kagome was in complete control, yet it never materialized.

Towering above him, Kagome made small forward and back motions. He recognized them as something similar to what she did when riding a horse. _Great. I'm a fucking horse now._ Reaching over, he slid his hands along the outside of her legs, causing her attention to fall onto him. She gave him a small smile, but didn't increase her pace. Reaching back, she undid the ponytail she had worn since earlier today. Shaking her head, her black hair tumbled free across her shoulders and back as she tossed the hair piece aside. Inuyasha stared up at her as she gave him a ghost of a smile, as if embarrassed. The smile slowly faded – as did her rocking motions. Motionless, she stared down at him. He would have given up everything, the manor, the fancy clothes, the comfortable bed, even the endless food, all of it for a peek inside her mind. There was something in her eyes that he didn't recognize. Her expression seemed sad, but that wasn't quite it.

Reaching up, she pulled back some hair and hooked it behind her ear. Bending forward, her face hovered near his. Her eyes never left his until seconds before she kissed him. It felt like an electric shock. It was less a kiss and more a brush of her lips against his, not even lasting a second. She pulled away as he stared up in shock, not believing what had just happened. Her face reddened at his stare and she quickly looked away.

"Sorry," she said softly. "I shouldn't have done that."

"What? No!" he said, pushing himself up on his elbows. "That was—"

"Inappropriate. I'm sorry," she said, still looking away. "I let—" She cut herself off.

"What?"

She looked back at him, eyes wet. "I let my feelings get the better of me. I'm sorry." She moved to get off him but he held her in place. Before she could say anything more, he sat up and pressed his lips against hers. Unlike hers, his was more demanding. He knew he sucked at kissing, but at that moment, he didn't care. His intention was clear. Whatever had been holding her back broke with his kiss. Throwing her arms around his neck, she pulled him against her, returning his kiss with a surprising passion. While he sucked at kissing, she was _amazing._

Breaking the kiss, she pulled back slightly, her arms still tightly around him. She seemed out of breath, her eyes searching his. He grinned stupidly, eliciting a giggle and smile from her as she pressed her forehead against his.

"Want to continue?" she whispered softly.

Pressing his lips against hers, he gave his answer.

 **oOOOo**

Opening her eyes, Kagome knew she had made a terrible mistake. Chloe stood next to the bed, a curious expression on her face. Kagome could feel Inuyasha's arm around her, his warm breath on the back of her neck. She closed her eyes, cursing herself for not having better control over herself.

"I'm late, aren't I?" Kagome whispered softly.

"Incredibly," Chloe said, breaking out in a grin.

Kagome gently slid herself out of Inuyasha's grasp and quickly climbed out of bed. She glanced over her shoulder, relieved to find Inuyasha still asleep. Seeing his peaceful face made her face flush. To hide it, she went about collecting her clothes and quickly put them on.

"What time is it now?" she asked, keeping her voice low.

"Nine," Chloe said still grinning as Kagome winced. "I was debating on whether to let you sleep longer or not…"

"No. Thank you for waking me." She did her best to keep her embarrassment buried.

"And the Master?"

Kagome glanced over her shoulder once more. She quickly suppressed anything she _thought_ she felt. _I have a job to do._ "Let him sleep a while longer." She strolled over to the door, trying to hold on to what little pride she had left. "I need to find Saiko. It's her turn this morning."

 **oOOOo**

Inuyasha woke to find his bed empty minus him. Blinking in confusion, he found Kagome standing next to the bed. The smile on his face faded when he realized she wasn't alone.

"Good morning Master Inuyasha," she said in her usual chipper manner. Her smile was warm, but it wasn't the one she had shared with him last night. "I hope you had a restful sleep."

Rubbing his eyes, he sat up, careful to keep the blanket covering his lower half. He looked around to find they were the only three in the room. Something was off too. His eyes rested on the open window to find it was awfully bright for the morning.

"What time is it?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the window.

Kagome clearing her throat brought his attention to her. She seemed flustered for some reason. "Almost ten."

"Ten?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow. He scratched the back of his head, a smile forming on his face. "Well shit, if that's what it takes to sleep in, I need to sleep with you more often."

Beside her, Saiko snorted, quickly holding a hand up to her mouth. Kagome was red, clearly embarrassed. She cleared her throat again. "I _should_ bring Eri here too," she began. "Seeing how it's almost afternoon. There _is_ a schedule we need to keep…"

Inuyasha paled. "Can I get my bath first?"

Saiko perked up. "Would you like me to join you?"

"No uh…" he started a little to quickly. "I need a few moments to myself, please."

Saiko didn't seem to disappointed, merely nodding. Yet it wasn't her Inuyasha was looking at. The Kagome who stood at the edge of his bed was like the Kagome he had always known, yet different. He wanted to say something about last night, but found no words to say.

Instead, he retreated to the bathroom, not even bothering to hide himself from either woman. Taking a moment, he stood in front of the mirror, examining himself. Last night had been something. It was like his night with Sango, but amplified by a thousand. _Did I dream it, or did it actually happen?_ Last night had been something special to him. He _knew_ it was special to her as well. No other woman had ever looked at him as she did. _And she_ kissed _me! Me!_

Yet Kagome had been business as usual. Yes, she seemed a bit more easily flustered today, but she still fully expected Inuyasha to continue his daily ritual. While he knew it was too important to them for him to take a day off, he expected _something_ to be different. After all, after an amazing night like that, how could it not be different?

Soaking in the bath, he was deep in thought when movement to his left caught his attention. He found Saiko standing there in all her naked glory, blushing as his eyes lingered over her.

"You were taking longer than usual so I thought I would come in to join you…"

Pushing the thoughts from his mind, Inuyasha forced a smile and resisted the urge to sigh. He gestured for her to join him. _Can't I just have a few moments to myself?_

 **oOOOo**

Kagome let out a long breath as she stared at the open ledger. Reaching forward, she took her pen and scratched a single ink line in the box next to her name. Last night had both been everything she hoped for, and everything she feared. She had tried her best to keep a professional distance, but in the end she succumbed to her own feelings. It made her hate everything about herself. Inuyasha was a wonderful man. He was kind, sweet, and naïve. It was hard to spend time with him and not find him endearing. She wasn't the only one who felt that way. Many of the other women talked about it. It was his own unique charm.

Reaching up, she brushed the tips of her fingers against her lips. She closed her eyes, fighting back tears of shame. _He's not Master Taisho,_ she reminded herself. _No matter how much he looks like him._

A pair of arms wrapped around her as a weight pressed against her back and shoulders. She jumped at the sudden intrusion of her personal space. "Well?" Sango asked as her arms tightened around her. "How was it? Everything you wished it would be?"

Straightening slightly, Kagome turned her attention back to the ledger, creating new marks next to Saiko and Eri. "It was… good."

"'Good?' Just 'good?'" She felt Sango's hands run through her hair. "One time and I can already see some change. Come on, you've been holding yourself back this entire time…"

"What do you expect me to say? I enjoyed it."

"You're no fun." Sango rested her chin on the top of her head. "Did you get him to give you a massage?"

"I was a bit busy."

Sango made a short raspberry sound. "Damn, you missed out. His hands are golden." Her friend sighed loudly, as if remembering a fond memory. "Which reminds me… Is my turn coming up soon oh Keeper of the Book?"

Kagome rolled her eyes and looked down at the book, frowning in concentration. There was only three months left before the winter solstice and there were not nearly enough marks in the ledger. "That depends. Are you up for a threesome?"

Sango hummed in thought. "I suppose I could. Who with?"

Kagome sighed. "Kikyo still hasn't had a turn…"

"I bet Inuyasha is going to be _thrilled_ when that comes up."

"I've been avoiding it."

"And you know _she_ knows you have. Definitely not helping matters between you two."

"I know…" Kagome continued to look over the ledger. "How about Taira?"

"What about you?" Sango's voice was a breathy whisper in her ear. "You're behind the curve, aren't you?" Kagome was silent, not taking her eyes off the page. Impatient, Sango gently rocked her in the chair. "Come on! When was the last time we had one together?" _Years,_ Kagome thought to herself. She shook her head. "You want to keep him all to yourself then? Since when were you so selfish?"

Pursing her lips, Kagome closed the ledger. "It's not like that." _I don't trust myself to keep me in line._

Sighing, Sango released her. "If you say so." She paused for a few seconds. "Taira is fine, by the way. Hell, I'd even go in with Kikyo if it meant more time with him." Kagome turned in time to find her friend walking away. Slumping her shoulders, she could tell Sango was disappointed in her. _Nothing I can do about now,_ she thought as she turned back to the ledger, examining its thick leather cover. Blowing out a breath, she shook her head and tried to focus, opening the ledger again. Despite her desire to get some planning done, she found her thoughts drifting back to the previous night, and all the feelings that came with it.

 **oOOOo**

"Master Inuyasha? What are you doing in here?" Inuyasha turned his head at the sound of Kagome's voice. She was standing in the doorway, a surprised look on her face.

"Miroku here is introducing me to video games," he answered, gesturing to Miroku. Miroku ignored both of them, focusing on the screen in front of them. "Am I not allowed to be in here?"

"Of course not. I'm just… Well you've never been in here before." Technically, the room was designated to be a break room of sorts for the staff. It had been a large room that hadn't been assigned a purpose when the house was built. Over time, the staff slowly appropriated it for their own use. Now, it had various amenities collected over the centuries. The video games and large TV had been a more recent addition, as with the bar they always kept stocked. While Kikyo would flay anyone found drinking during "work" hours, it became a popular spot in the evening to unwind and relax with friends.

Kagome looked over at the screen. "What game are you playing?" she asked, moving over to the back of the couch. Inuyasha found himself shifting in place at her presence. It had been a few days since he slept with her. He couldn't get a read of their situation, and it was driving him crazy. She acted like nothing was different, but it _was_ different. He could feel it. Damned if he knew what exactly was different. She wasn't helping in that department either. Nothing in their interactions hinted at anything, so he was left with only his feelings and thoughts on the matter – which were entirely unhelpful.

"Halo? This is Halo, right?" he asked, looking over to Miroku who was concentrating.

"Yep."

"I suck at it," Inuyasha admitted.

"Yep," Miroku said, tapping at his controller.

"It's really fun though. Miroku is going to set me up with a computer in a few days so I can play on my own time."

Kagome rested her hands on her hips. "Great. And that will be the last day we see you." She tapped on his shoulder after he had turned his attention back to the TV. "Can I speak to you? It shouldn't take long," she asked, gesturing towards the door. Inuyasha glanced over at Miroku, who was absorbed in the game.

"Sure." Setting the controller aside, he followed Kagome out the door. He did his best to keep from fidgeting, constantly casting a sideways glance to her as they walked in silence. She led him outside into the warm air. He took a deep breath as they walked through the garden, taking in the aroma of flowers and freshly trimmed landscaping.

"It's been awhile since I've been out here," he mused as they reached a familiar spot.

Kagome gave him an amused grin. "I figured you could use some air. Getting caught up with Miroku in one of his gaming binges and we won't see either of you for a week."

"That would be nice…" Inuyasha sighed. At her look, he quickly back-peddled. "Not that I don't, um, enjoy seeing you."

"Is that so," she said cryptically and walked out in front of him. Taking a seat on the bench, she patted the empty space beside her. Walking over, he settled down. Together, they watched the fish lazily swim and listened to the sound of bubbling water.

Running a hand across her bangs, she tucked the hair in behind her ear. "It's been awhile since we talked."

He frowned. "We talked this morning. And afternoon."

"That can hardly be called a conversation." She looked over at him. "I want to know how you're doing." There was a long silence as she locked her gaze on him. "It's just you and me out here. No one else."

Inuyasha sighed, breaking his gaze with her. "I'm adapting. It helps now that I've gotten to know people a little better." Kagome nodded, looking a little relieved. "I don't know what's worse, the idea that I'm coming around to accepting things, or that I've accepted it as a routine I need to do." He looked over at her. "And I'm getting really sick of threesomes. Not that I don't enjoy them, but they are so damn _exhausting_. I hate how I get black-out tired after them, and the next morning…" He shook his head.

Reaching over, she rested her hand on his arm. "It's only until we get caught up. I promise." She wore a little smile as she continued. "After that, it's whenever you want one."

He nodded, saying nothing more and letting the topic drop. Instead, he focused his attention on her hand, which lingered far longer than normal. Slowly, he looked up to find her still looking at him. Realizing she was staring, she gave a startled look and pulled away.

"Why did you kiss me?" he asked suddenly. The question had been burning a hole in his brain ever since, and the desire to find out finally overpowered his limited courage of asking.

"I'm sorry?" she asked, scooting away slightly.

His lips narrowed. "You know what I'm talking about."

She looked away, ashamed. "That… was a mistake."

"It didn't seem like it at the time."

Kagome gave a humorless laugh. "Nothing ever does at the time you are making it."

"You are the only one who's ever kissed me," he mused, rubbing his chin in thought. "Eriko and Sango both freaked out when I kissed them."

Kagome's eyes were wide. "You kissed them?"

"Yeah, before I realized it's apparently a taboo thing. Mind filling me in?"

Her face flushed. "It's…" She made a few thinking noises as she tried to collect her thoughts. "Well, it's a bit complex but… simply put, kissing is more intimate then the act of having sex – provided you are actually _having_ sex when you kiss. Outside of sex, kissing carries the same weight it does on the mainland."

Inuyasha was silent for a long time. "That makes no sense," he said, finally giving up.

Kagome laughed, though he could tell she was still tense. "I suppose it may seem like that. It's a cultural thing, so it will take you some time to acclimate." She took a deep breath. "Relationships on this island are more fluid than you would see on the mainland being that people here are effectively immortal. Marriage here is considerably more serious than on the mainland. Divorce is nearly unheard of. Courtship with the intent to marry takes _decades_ at a minimum. Engagements last nearly as long. When you marry someone, you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that is the person you are going to spend eternity with – because you _are_. It's why every marriage celebration is a massive island-wide festival."

"Wow. That makes sense. It really brings new meaning to 'death do us part' when you know time and age isn't a factor."

Kagome nodded. "It's why sex doesn't carry the stigma it does on the mainland. It's not just here at the manor, where it has a specific purpose. Casual sex is a norm down in the town too."

He frowned. "How did sex become a casual occurrence?"

Laughing, Kagome took a deep breath. "Boredom mostly. Think about it. This town has been around for millennia. Once the initial work was done forming it, there isn't much to do besides upkeep. We are blessed with an ocean and land that provides a bounty of food. People… found ways to amuse themselves without the joys of modern entertainment."

"I'm surprised the population is so low considering."

She hesitated. "There's a reason for that."

"Let me guess, 'I'll be told when the time is right.'"

She shook her head. "No, I'll tell you. The same energy that makes us immune to aging also has a sterilizing effect." Seeing his startled reaction, she quickly continued. "Now that doesn't mean we _can't_ have children. Plenty of people on the island are parents. It just means that having a child is a serious commitment. Only when your body is purged of the energy from _both_ parents can you become pregnant. It's risky, since you are aging normally. Some people are lucky and get pregnant immediately, only adding a year or so to their body. Others could add several years. Some give up after attempting for a few years, not willing to give up any more of their youth."

"That sounds horrible."

Kagome merely shrugged. "It's a small price to pay for immortality. Besides, we get enough people in from the mainland now to not concern ourselves with population size. We are growing slowly, and there is a lot of island left."

Inuyasha just nodded, digesting the new information. He was still trying to wrap his head around the idea of living forever. Even being a part of it, it didn't feel real. _And I have a tremendous amount of things I can do. Movies to watch. Games to play. Books to read. Skills to learn. All thanks to a modern world. I couldn't imagine this place hundreds of years ago._

She cleared her throat. "Since sex is so prevalent, norms surrounding it developed to differentiate relationship status. Kissing is the most obvious one. A normal kiss is still the same, but during sex, it changes. It changes the meaning of the interaction from one of casual fun to emotional depth. As such, only people with deep emotional ties kiss during sex." Her cheeks reddened slightly. "For us, someone who kisses people casually during sex is the equivalent of a slut. It completely destroys the meaning of the action."

Inuyasha felt his face pale as the life drained from it.

Kagome was quick to action seeing his reaction. "But you had no idea! We understand you are still an outsider when it comes to the more minute customs here. We also haven't been the best at being up front about things. It's a bit embarrassing to talk about sometimes knowing we are judged based on norms from outside the island."

"I should apologize to them."

Kagome waved him off. "Don't worry about it. But as I was saying, relationships are complex, but simple at the same time. Some people will couple up for a few decades before moving on to someone else. When in these temporary relationships, it is perfectly acceptable and expected to kiss your partner. You can have as many other partners as you wish, so long as you don't kiss them. Of course, there are exceptions to this. Some people form these relationships with a few people at once. So long as each of them recognize the others, it is perfectly acceptable to kiss multiple people." She took a breath, her hands moving while she explained. "It's the same for married couples. They remain faithful to their partner so long as they don't kiss anyone while having sex, but you are free to have as many partners as you wish. The big difference between a married couple and the temporary ones is their agreement to only ever kiss each other, no matter how many other partners they have."

Inuyasha shook his head, mind swimming in all the information she dumped on him. "That makes no sense."

"In time, this will all be second nature to you. It just seems strange because you spent so much time away from the island." She laughed. "I won't go into the varying degrees of kissing. I think that would overload you."

"There are varying degrees?"

"Of course. Depending on the length, place, and timing, it can denote love, friendship, comfort, respect, and a whole host of emotions and statuses."

"Someone has _way_ too much time on their hands to think all this up."

Kagome gave a light chuckle. "Time is something we have in abundance."

A silence grew as Inuyasha tried to sort through the new information. Kagome sat on the bench, tilted forward slightly as her hands gripped the seat on either side of her. Her attention was towards the blue sky. He watched her from the corner of his eye. While he was thankful for more information about how things worked around here, only one question burned within him.

"Then… why did you kiss me?"

She closed her eyes, a pained expression crossing her face. For a moment, he wasn't sure if she was going to answer him. "I… made a mistake."

"I don't think you did." She opened her eyes as he stared at her, shifting slightly to face her. He continued on, letting his emotions take the wheel and spill out, not making any effort to curb the flow. "I've been thinking about this a lot since then. The more I think about it, only one thing really makes sense. I think I—"

She looked away quickly. "Inuyasha, stop."

"But—"

"You reminded me of Master Taisho," she said suddenly, cutting him off. It felt like someone had dumped ice water over him. Her not looking at him made the situation worse. The icy chill slowly sunk into him as the realization of what she was saying hit him. The cold turned to heat as the anger warmed his body, boiling in the pit of his stomach. "It was for the briefest of moments, and I…" She looked at him now, tears in her eyes. "Then you kissed me. _You._ And—" Her eyes followed him, widening as he stood. "Inuyasha—"

He left her on the bench, her words burning in the inferno that heated his face before they could reach him. He was getting tired of making progress, only to find his destination was blocked by invisible walls and obstacles he hadn't been expecting. It was exhausting having his hopes dashed every time he saw the light. At least in his old life, the perpetual darkness never taunted him with hope of something more.

 _God I'm such a fool._ He thought as he marched through the maze. Pausing, he looked up to the blue sky. It was perfect weather once again. _Am I in heaven, or am I in hell?_ He realized that he couldn't immediately answer the question. And that terrified him.

 **oOOOo**

"Master Inuyasha!" Taira cried out as he drove her against the bed. Loud, wet smacks provided a steady rhythm to her shouts of pleasure. He couldn't see her face, only her long raven hair and the smooth white skin of her back. Leaning forward, his hands pressed against her shoulder blades as he slammed into her as fast and hard as he could. Face pressed against the bedding, she continued to cry out his name as her hair covered her face.

"I'm cumming!" she screamed out, body quivering. "Master Inuyasha I'm cumming!"

Ignoring her screams and shouts of pleasure, Inuyasha continued his relentless drive. Beside them was Sango, lying on her side as she recovered from her turn moments ago. Cum rolled down her inner leg before running down the front towards the bed. He had switched between the two several times now. He was used to having an audience now. Most 'threesomes' were like this, with one girl waiting for their turn while he was with the other. If the girls were on friendly terms, they would play with the others breasts or caress their skin, but only Emma and Grace really ensured all three were involved at all times.

"You're really into this tonight," Sango said, still sounding winded. Inuyasha was still focused on Taira, who he was pretty sure was having another orgasm. His hands slid over her back before he got a firm grip on her hips. Not slowing on his pace, he pulled her back against his thrusts. It was that extra push he needed to find his release. Groaning, he shoved himself into her and emptied another load into the gasping woman.

Breathing hard, Inuyasha wiped the sweat from his brow and looked to Sango. Her eyes widened slightly as he pulled out of her companion, still rock hard. Released from his grasp, Taira sagged onto the bed, cum drooling from her slit as she lay unmoving beside the rise and fall of her shoulders as she gasped for breath.

"I haven't even recovered from the last time," Sango complained, not resisting as he moved over to her. As she rolled onto her back, she spread her legs, allowing him inside. "I'm always happy for the extra attention but—" She gasped as he wordlessly shoved himself into her. Her hands clenched at the bedding as he worked like an engine piston, focusing on speed and power. Her long yells rose in pitch slightly each time he filled her completely. Growling in frustration, Inuyasha took her legs and quickly placed them on his shoulders, giving him more leverage. Sango's breasts jerked up and down from the force and speed, overcoming their natural pertness.

Inuyasha had cooled down since his conversation with Kagome, but seeing her again with Sango and Taira in toe had stirred the embers into flame once more. Professional as always, she acted like she always had, but it was to his cold shoulder. While seething anger had started his current energetic lovemaking, it no longer maintained it. Instead, a deep and resounding loneliness filled him. He was familiar with this void. It had been there ever since his mother passed away. Inuyasha was now a man with everything he could ever want. Clothes that caressed his skin when he wore them. Every meal that overflowed with food. He had the money to buy whatever he desired. Beautiful women dotted on him at all hours and would joyfully warm his bed. The people here treated him like a god.

And yet, he was every bit as poor as the moment he arrived.

 **oOOOo**

 **Another chapter done! Ran into a little writer's block, so that delayed it. I originally was going to wait a bit longer for Kagome/Inuyasha, but ended up writing it in. Then I couldn't decide on how to handle the aftermath. Next chapter should expand the scope a little more. Finally get to learn about the Lords of the island!**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review if you would. I love hearing from you all. Until next time…**


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